Dudley Dursley and the Quest for Truth
by books101
Summary: When Dudley Dursley and his parents are forced to spend a year with-gasp!- witches and wizards, Dudley decides this is the opportunity to learn more about his apparently famous cousin. Potterwatch, tall tales and magic, oh my! Rating changed for safety...
1. Arrival

**_A/N: Hello All!_**

**_It's been a little while since I've posted anything. Sorry about that..._**

**_This fic when completed shouldn't be more than five chapter. A ficlet, I think it's called? Anyway, it will be about Dudley's year, meeting muggle born teens, listening to Potterwatch, reading the Quibbler, and learning about the Magical world. As corny as it is, Dudley needs to 'find himself'._**

**_Anyway, please read and enjoy. Second chapter is almost done, and I'd appreciate feedback before I post it, to know what direction people think I should go in, and to see how chapter one is recieved._**

**_Thank you for your support in advance, and for anyone who has read and reviewed any of my other stories! You guys are the reason I keep writing and posting!_**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Harry Potter. If I did, then Fred Weasley and Sirius Black would still be alive, not to mention Hedwig and Dobby...<strong>

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><p>It had been a very long four hours, and Dudley Dursley was getting sick of sitting in his father's company car, squished next to his mother and an unfamiliar lady, feeling hot, sweaty, tired, and hungry. And now it was pitch dark out as well, and creepy driving along deserted roads.<p>

As if sensing his thoughts, the lady, Hestia Jones, Dudley remembered, looked over with a small sympathetic smile.

"I know it's been a long day, but we had to stay moving for this long. I'll explain more later, but there's no time now. We're almost there. So not too much longer, and then we can stretch our legs."

Dudley smiled in relief, forgetting momentarily that this nice woman was one of the _freaks _that his parents didn't want him speaking to, socializing with, or smiling and looking at.

"Thank you, that does sound nice," he replied softly, and then the car descended into silence again, except for the quiet noises Dedalus Diggle made when pointing to which turn Mr. Dursley should take.

Of course, that ended when Vernon Dursley saw the most recent turn Dedalus indicated. His nice, shiny, new, expensive company car was sitting on a dirt road leading into a forest.

"I'm not taking my car into that place!" he spoke for the first time in over three and a half hours, pointing into the dark trees with a shaking, meaty finger as he snapped, "It would be the death of my car!"

"My good sir!" Mr. Diggle, Dudley observed, didn't seem to understand that his parents didn't like their kind, and that Vernon didn't appreciate his enthusiasm and kindness. Hestia at least just ignored them- she seemed to take an instant dislike to both adults while still at the house on Privet Drive with Harry.

Mr. Diggle continued, "Of course I would never ask you to drive your car down that path!" Vernon looked relieved for a moment— until the short man spoke again. "No, we simply needed to get far away and get the car out of sight. It wouldn't do for muggles to question such a nice car left sitting around now, would it? We are going to apparate to out next destination. Everyone out!" He seemed so enthusiastic as he bounced out of his seat, Hestia following immediately. She obviously didn't want to be in the car with the Dursleys longer than necessary.

Dudley parents, however, looked like they were in shock.

"Leave, leave it…" was all Vernon was capable of saying. Petunia, on the other hand, looked green like she was going to be sick.

"She and that _boy _talked about apparation, and then one summer she popped out of nowhere, scaring the daylights out of us _normal_ people…" she trailed off, but Dudley had heard enough. It sounded like teleporting, and kind of neat. Maybe he could learn a bit about his cousin's world on this forced vacation? He'd never asked questions, just criticized and taunted. He would make up for lost time, Dudley decided as he turned to his parents.

"Mum, dad," he said, and both snapped out of their shock to look at him, "I'm getting out now, and you should too. We don't know where we are, and you wouldn't want Hestia to leave without you. We've taken their protection, and Harry shouldn't have even offered us any, not after how we've treated him. C'mon."

He didn't wait for his parents' reactions, knowing how shocked they'd be. But it was all true, even if he hadn't realized until this last year how horrid he'd been. He'd never spoken to his parents that way before, calmly demanding instead of throwing a fit, and he was surprised at how good it felt. He exited the car with a smile, turning his considerable weight to Hestia and Dedalus.

He was just in time to see a silver blur fly to Hestia, but with their backs to him he couldn't see it's shape- just hear it's voice. It was deep, and very calm, though with an undertone of sorrow. Too big of a voice for something that didn't look like much more than silver fog—was it some kind of message?

"Mission accomplished, but you need to be very careful. They knew the day somehow, so there must be an informant that we wouldn't guess. There were dozens on brooms waiting for us, and the big guy himself was there. _He_ went after Harry himself and the boy barely got out, but he's at a safe location now. I just left, but his friends were reassuring him. Keep your eyes open, both of you. We're mostly ok, some of us have injuries, but we lost Madeye." At this Dudley was shocked to hear a gasp from Dedalus the same time as Hestia actually burst into tears. "Remember to keep his motto today- Constant Vigilance! Get yourselves to safety. Arthur said to tell you he'd be by later, probably with Bill or Charlie. He can tell you more details then."

The tension was tight enough to cut with a knife as Dedalus and Hestia stood in horrified silence. Feeling a presence behind him, Dudley turned to see his parents. But apparently the sight of cool and collected Hestia sobbing into Dedalus's shoulder was enough to stop any muttering Petunia would've done, or to pause Vernon before any of his rude comments left his mouth.

"What happened?" Dudley's mother hissed to him out of the corner of her mouth.

"Dunno," Dudley shrugged his large shoulders, "but I think they just got a message. It said they'd lost someone… like someone _died_." Dudley looked up at his parents. This war was more than an abstract idea that had torn them from their home. People were dying, and the Dursley family was helpless against the threat.

Vernon and Petunia were most likely fearing for their safety, but Dudley remembered the message he'd heard.

_Harry _was at the center of this conflict, and he would be until the end. The small, rag wearing, scrawny boy that Dudley had always tormented throughout their childhoods was in the center of a war that could destroy their world— or at least their lives.

And that was where Dudley Dursley made his vow: a vow that would shape his life for the next year.

No matter where they ended up, how his parents reacted, or what they said, Dudley was making the most of this 'vacation'. For some unknown reason, Harry had gotten them protection when they didn't deserve it. And it had taken Dudley sixteen years to realize Harry wasn't the enemy. It was only this summer that Dudley realized instead of fearing his cousin for years, he should've been asking him questions and learning about this other world.

But he hadn't. So he'd start now. Dedalus seemed a perfect place to begin, as he hadn't taken an instant dislike to the family of three like Hestia had (though that was understandable after how she'd seen them treat Harry, and Dudley, slow as he was, could already tell that wizards loved Harry) and he was always happy and ready to help.

And if they were left in a wizarding place, then there would be lots of people to help him.

Dudley was so caught up in his thinking that he had barely noticed when a still teary Hestia had come up and gripped his arm before twisting away.

He did notice (with a yelp) when it felt like he was being pulled through a tube, and squeezed in all directions.

But then, with his father's rants and mother's gasps as background noise with Dedalus's hurried explanations and apologies, Dudley gazed upon the clearing they'd entered. It seemed to be in the middle of a forest, and the four-story manor house didn't look all that impressive. (Bar the size of course.)

But the darkness of clearing, and the wind rustling through the trees, the stars twinkling above through the branches of the trees and the lights blazing through the many glass windows gave the sight a magical feel.

And Dudley couldn't wait.

"Welcome," Hestia said softly, in a voice still hoarse from tears, "to hideaway manor."

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><p><strong><em>Okay, so what did you all think?<em>**

**_Thank you for taking the time to read this. Because it's kind of like a prologue, it was a little short. The future chapters will likely be at least double this one._**

**_Please review and tell me what you think!_**

**_-Books_**


	2. House, Tales, and Eavesdropping Oh my

**_A/N: Hello All! Sorry that this is a little later than I thought it would be- I had a rather large assignment for the summer class I'm taking due today, but now that it's done I was able to edit this, finish it, and post it! Hurray!_**

**_I know it's a little awkward at the ending, as the end is during a flashback. But the chapter was getting long, and I'm not planning on each chapter to follow the previous exactly, as this is going to be a whole year/book (you know what I mean) in under ten chapters. I'm not sure how many yet, but many, many less than _Deathly Hallows_!_**

**_I hope you all enjoy. Please let me know what you think. I was a little lost a few times, but I'm pretty happy with the final outcome._**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, past plot, or ideas that will seem familiar to any Harry Potter fans. Those all belong to J.K. Rowling, whom I thank for letting me play in her sandbox with her amazing characters. :)<strong>

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><p>The Dursleys had only been at the safe house a little over one week, and already Dudley was sure that he was completely out of his depth.<p>

There were always people coming in and out. And all of them were witches and wizards. Dudley had gotten used to hearing the words, and to saying them too. He could also say magic now, and not expect the world to blow up. His father, on the other hand, almost never left their rooms. The wizards had been very kind, in Dudley's opinion, and had given the Dursleys what amounted to an entire flat. Then again, it wasn't much when compared to the whole house.

Though from the outside the house looked like a large, four story building, somehow the inside was more than five times that size. There were moving staircases—like escalators but with carpeting and spiral stairs—all throughout, and they went up to sometimes six stories, and sometimes ten. Dudley never really got a good explanation as to how that worked…

There were more than twenty bedrooms, and more than ten flats like the Dursleys', with two bedrooms, a living area, and a kitchen each. Not to mention two fabulous bathrooms, complete with hot tub and bubble bath spigots.

There were game rooms, exercise rooms, kitchens, dining areas, living rooms, and libraries. And the Dursleys were invited to go wherever they pleased.

But the two adults never ventured far from their rooms.

Dudley had gotten to know some of the people going in and out. Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle both seemed to be permanently stationed at the house, though they went in and out a lot as well. But they were the only full-time adult wizards. Others came and went each day. Dozens—more than Dudley could keep track of. But it was the kids and teenagers who baffled Dudley. They lived there. They told him it was because they weren't safe in the outside world, as they were either 'half-bloods' or 'muggle-borns'. Dudley also learned that some of them had ties to families who fought on the 'light-side'. They needed protection.

All the terms still continued to confuse the poor boy.

Something equally baffling to the boy was the fact that all those teenagers seemed to idolize his cousin. The one he had pushed around and bullied for years. The one that he called names and teased. The one that he didn't really know at all. They said he was a hero, the bravest kid at _that_ school, and that he would win the war.

Dudley didn't know what to think.

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><p>Dudley entered the game room cautiously. His parents had warned him not to interact with the wizarding children, but Dudley was getting bored of sitting in his bedroom. They didn't have televisions to watch here, which is what he would have been doing at home. But anyways, it seemed much more interesting to see what the other kids were like. And Dudley wanted to. So his mother had reluctantly let him out of their flat. She really couldn't say no when there was something he actually <em>wanted<em>…

All the different colored heads in the game room looked up when he entered. He'd been introduced to some of them, but not all. And he hadn't really spoken to any of them. There were a little less than a dozen in the room now, and Dudley didn't know how many more there were in the house. He thought maybe that many again, but he wasn't positive.

He recognized a boy around his age with brown hair—Justin, maybe? And a little girl with pigtails—Molly? Those two said they were siblings.

There were two brothers whispering at the far wall. He'd heard from the elder—Colin?—that they were in his cousin's _House_ (Dudley didn't know what that meant) at their school. He also had heard from some adults that the brothers brought about almost as much mayhem keeping them locked up in this house, as a pair of twins everyone seemed to know would have.

Dudley hoped they didn't mean those redheaded terrors he'd had the misfortune of encountering before.

The only other one he recognized was a boy about his age, with dark hair and bright blue eyes. He was sitting alone, reading, and seemed like the safest bet to Dudley.

"Hullo." Dudley said quietly, watching as people murmured it back before returning to their activities. Heaving a sigh of relief, Dudley made his way over to the boy he had chosen to talk to.

"Hullo. I'm Dudley Dursley," he said politely, privately proud of himself for not squeaking, or anything else equally embarrassing, around the strange boy. After all, this boy was different, new. He had _magic_.

"Hello Dudley, I'm Ethan Lewis, and we all know who you are. You're Potter's cousin, right?"

"Um, yeah. I am." Dudley supposed it would take some time to get used to being referred to that way. "You know Harry?"

"Yeah, somewhat. I mean, I'm in Gryffindor too, and only a year above him, so I might know him better than most of the kids here. But no one really _knows_ Harry, you know? He's so private."

"Yeah!" Someone yelled from across the room, alerting Dudley to the fact that everyone was now listening in, and not doing a very good job of being discrete. Magic thing, or kid thing?

It seemed his cousin was a popular topic of conversation. "It's always the Trio alone together—no one else gets entrance, not even other Weasleys!"

There were murmurs of agreement, but Dudley was confused. What Trio? Why did it sound like it was it capitalized? And why did Dudley get the feeling that this wasn't the same kind of private as his cousin just not sharing everyday things because the Dursleys weren't interested?

Ethan seemed to understand that Dudley was confused. "You're not close to your cousin, are you?"

Dudley understood enough to know that he should not admit to how Harry was treated in their house growing up; he'd be in a world of pain. He'd heard that for their safety there were some kind of spells in place here to allow the underage kids to do magic and practice to protect themselves. They'd attack him.

"We just never had anything in common. I never had much to do with him, and vice versa. He never shared anything about his school or life." That much was true, anyway.

"Well, the 'Golden Trio' is what us regular students call Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I don't think they know that the whole school refers to them as that, though."

"It's true that the whole place does!" One kid spoke up, who couldn't be more than thirteen or so. "One day I heard McGonagall call them that to another teacher!"

Dudley didn't know why that was so funny, but apparently it was, as a lot of people started laughing.

"Um, what do you mean, 'normal students'?" he asked uneasily.

The group instantly calmed, and shared uncertain looks.

"Sit down, Dudley." Ethan said finally. "And let us tell you about the most eventful six years that Hogwarts School has seen in centuries."

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><p>"I believe," Ethan started, "that the <em>truly<em> odd things happened in some later years. But there were still plenty death-defying stunts that the Trio pulled their first year."

"_Death-defying?_" Dudley asked incredulously, wondering what the other boy was talking about. Harry would have been eleven!

"Yeah," Justin cut in, coming over with a bunch of other kids. "By the way, the name's Justin Finch Fletchley." He said it with pomp, shoving his hand out for Dudley to tentatively shake. "I'm in Harry's year and I'm of age now, but I'm here to stay with my little sister. Molly should have been a first year now, but couldn't go to school this year. We're all helping teach her so that when Harry wins the war she won't be too far behind."

The other kids nodded, but Dudley was still stuck on the part where Justin had said with complete seriousness that seventeen-year-old Harry was going to win the war.

Like by himself.

Alone.

Though from what people were saying, it seemed he was at least never without his two best friends.

The other kids around started to introduce themselves, and it seemed all of them were going to take place in this conversation.

"See," Justin explained, "We never get told _all_ the details about whatever adventure the Trio's been involved with that year. But between 'overhearing'," everyone laughed at the air quotes he used, and Dudley got the feeling it was a common occupation at their school to try and eavesdrop on Harry and his friends, "conversations when they're not as secret years later, the tid bits the teachers choose to share, and the true parts that the Gryffindors hear, we manage to piece together _almost_ a whole picture!"

Justin seemed very excited about that, and other kids seemed pretty impressed.

Dudley wasn't, but he agreed that if it was hard to actually get an accurate account about this stuff, then it might be pretty neat.

"So," Ethan continued, "as the oldest I think I'm the only one who was at school the Trio's first year, _and_ in any condition to know what was happening and _remember_." He finished with a pointed look at Justin, who had opened his mouth angrily half way through. He slowly shut it after Ethan spoke.

"Justin, you were only a firstie as well, and a Hufflepuff. You weren't even in his house." Justin nodded glumly, acknowledging defeat.

"Some little things happened that year, such as the troll getting in at Halloween, and Harry's broom getting jinxed at his first Quidditch game."

Dudley was already confused, wondering what a broom had to do with anything, what in the world Quidditch was, and just what, exactly, a troll was, how dangerous it was, and how the bloody hell one got into a school!

But it seemed some other kids were just as shocked, though it was from amazement. It sounded like the tales hadn't filtered completely to the younger kids, as "new oddities kept happening every year!" (According to Justin.)

"The real adventure," Ethan continued over the hubbub, making people instantly quiet, "is what happened at the end of the year, between Harry and Professor Quirrell. Something that they say involved You-Know-Who himself, and left Harry injured in the hospital wing for three days. Well, ladies and gentlemen!" he announced grandly, "I heard the Trio talking last year, and am proud to say that I can tell you the truth, and nothing but the truth about that year!"

And then he spun a fabulous tale of dark magic and tasks and challenges, and friendship. Of flying and sweets and a kind old wizard who everyone agreed would be sorely missed for some time. And of love and trust in your friends and companions.

And Dudley hoped he might understand his cousin just a little better.

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><p><em>Flashback<em>

The first night that the Dursleys had stayed at Hideaway Manor was the most confusing, exciting and dreadful night that Dudley could ever remember living through.

Everything was new. It was magical. And for the Dursley family, magical was not necessarily good. Actually, it had never been _good_ before.

Dudley hoped that might change sometime soon, for him at least. Though magic still made him apprehensive.

It was exciting for those reasons too.

And it was dreadful because the house was in mourning with the news that Hestia and Dedalus had brought with the Dursley family.

"Hestia, dear, what's the matter?" A kindly older woman asked the moment they entered the house.

Dudley would learn that besides being an excellent housekeeper and cook, she also was adept at reading emotions. He still wasn't sure if it was intuition or magic related…

"Oh Sue! We got a message from Arthur Weasley!" Hestia seemed ready to burst into tears again. The Dursleys were forgotten by the doorway.

"Oh no! Harry?" Dudley noticed his father's wince at the name, but Dudley himself just wondered what his cousin was to all these people. Had the majority even met him? Did any of them _know_ him? Dudley was ashamed to realize that he fell into the category that didn't.

"No, no. Harry is fine. Sue, it's Mad-Eye. Some one got him; the plan was leaked somehow. They were ambushed."

"No!" the lady gasped, and she started to cry too. Who was this guy? What kind of name was 'Mad-Eye' anyway?

"Not Alastor! He's been around forever! He'll be around forever!"

"I'm sorry, Sue." Sue and Hestia fell into a sobbing hug together, and Dedalus shifted uncomfortably as he turned to the Dursley family. They were standing awkwardly looking on.

Actually, only Dudley was standing awkwardly. When he turned to his parents he realized that his father was turning red at being ignored, and was well on his way to his famous shade of purple. He was huffing and muttering angrily under his breath.

He didn't seem awkward. Only pissed.

His mother, Dudley noticed, was busy scrutinizing the house. From the purse of her lips she found it entirely acceptable in it's cleanliness and quality, and was annoyed by that fact.

She would have rather had the chance to complain.

"Um, yes, sorry about this. It's always hard to lose someone, and it's harder when it's a friend. Alastor Moody was also a fighter for our side, and a very valuable one. He will be sorely missed by very many people."

Poor Dedalus didn't seem to realize that Dudley's parents really couldn't care less. And Vernon probably just took the frame of mind of 'it's one less freak in this world!'.

Dudley thought it better not to mention that.

"Yes, well," Dedalus was already having a bad night, and seemed flustered by the family's lack of response, "it's been a long night for us all. How about I take to where you will be staying for the foreseeable future?"

Vernon puffed up at that statement, but deflated after Petunia grabbed his arm and whispered to him. Dudley was glad. He knew his mother was tired and just wanted to get to her room. He quite agreed.

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><p>The Dursley family had long since been left alone, but Dudley knew his parents were still in shock over the space they had been given to live in.<p>

It was enormous, and very nicely decorated.

Nothing like a cupboard under the stairs. But if Dudley knew Harry at all—and he liked to think he might a bit—then Harry wouldn't have told anyone about that, except perhaps his two best friends.

Dudley got his own bedroom, and it was nice to have his own space. His parents had immediately locked the doors to the hallway as soon as Dedalus had left, and Dudley didn't have the heart to tell them that with _magic_ they could probably enter anyway. The people here didn't seem like the types to enter with force though, Dudley thought.

But Dudley wanted to see more of the mansion. They'd come up two moving spiral staircases to get here, and they had passed dozens of interesting looking rooms.

Plus, that silver message earlier had said that Arthur was coming later and then they had called him a Weasley, and Dudley might not be smart, but he wasn't stupid either. He could put stuff together.

That redheaded family was called Weasley. The one with the twins from hell, and the one with Harry's best friend.

If their dad was coming over and knew about Harry's transport and stuff, then maybe he had news on Harry. If Dudley could just watch from around a corner, then he'd be able to hear whatever they had to say.

It was worth a try.

"Duddykins! Where do you think you're _going_?"

Ah, Dudley had forgotten his mother.

"Just for a walk, Mum. I want to see what else is here. I'm not tired and I don't want to act like these rooms are a prison. Dedalus said we should make ourselves at home here." She was still looking skeptical. "I wanna go out!" He ended on a petulant note, knowing his mother wouldn't deny him anything, now.

"Oh Diddy, I don't know… I don't want you to get hurt by any of those _freaks_." She hissed the word out, and for the first time in his life, Dudley wondered about his aunt. He didn't even know her name, but he thought his mother might have said it once, when that giant came to give Harry that letter. Dudley had been too terrified to listen to whatever his mother was spitting out.

Was his aunt where the animosity and hatred of magic came from? Or was it from his dad? If his mother had liked his aunt at all, though, then she wouldn't have let her husband influence her point of view so much, right?"

Now she was whispering to his dad frantically, who was looking tired and not very interested, himself.

"It's _fine_, Petunia," he finally managed to say past her hisses, "Dudders can take care of himself should he need to, and we were promised safety here. See, the boy seems important to them, which should guarantee us some priority treatment. We need to remember that."

Dudley was torn between being grateful to his father for getting his mum off his back, and being angry at the casual way he was treating Harry's help, when he'd been terrible to Harry all his youth.

He decided instead to quietly slip out the door.

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><p>He wandered for a little while, finding a gym that looked just like a regular one. He'd want to exercise while here, so he decided he'd ask Dedalus when he had the chance if it <em>was<em> normal.

He still remembered the normal looking candies, and their _abnormal_ affect.

He knew now that the candies were probably a prank, though, devised by people who knew how he treated Harry.

It was still terrifying.

He passed what looked like two libraries, a study, a game room of some kind he decided to return to, and a sitting room before he reached a spiral staircase. He'd already gone down two regular staircases, knowing that he had to go _down_ to get to the main floor, even if he didn't know which direction the front of the house was in after he got there.

He stepped onto the staircase and waited while he was slowly born downwards. It was actually kind of cool, he decided, as he moved in small circles. The stairs were covered with a dark navy carpeting and made of rich wood. Nothing like the straight, steep, metal and plastic escalators that Dudley had been on at the mall with his mum.

Finally he knew he was on the first floor, and by some luck recognized the passageway he was in as well. It had a dining room right next to where he was standing.

If he continued the way he was facing for a bit, then he'd reach the front sitting room, right by the front door. He decided to wait there for a bit and see what would happen, who would come. It was late, and most of the regular occupants of the house (Dedalus had told the family there were over a dozen young people staying there) were long asleep. That was the reason (also according to Dedalus) that they hadn't greeted the new arrivals.

He settled down with a book that he found on a shelf. It looked neat, and had pictures of people flying on the front. The neat part? The pictures were _moving_. Dudley could tell it was repeating the same few motions, but still! It was like a video in book form! The title was _Quidditch Through the Ages_, and Dudley remembered seeing something like it in Harry's room once, when he was snooping around.

He settled down to start reading, but had only gotten as far as the table of contents (Foreword, The Evolution of the Flying Broomstick, Ancient Broom Games, The Game From Queerditch Marsh, The Arrival of the Golden Snitch, Anti-Muggle Precautions, Changes Since the Fourteenth Century, (pitch, balls, players, rules, referees) Quidditch Teams Through Brittan and Ireland, The Spread of Quidditch Worldwide, The Development of the Racing Broom, and Quidditch Today) when he heard knocking at the front door. Which was just as well, because he didn't think he understood anything of what he'd just read.

He heard someone walk past his room to the front door.

"Who is it?" It was Hestia he'd heard walking.

"Arthur and William Weasley," was clearly heard through the door. Dudley wondered how Hestia knew if they were telling the truth. It was instantly clear that they actually had a system for this purpose.

"Arthur, what color was my hair the summer we met, and Bill, what did you call me as a baby before you could say my name?" Dudley was impressed with the questions: they were simple and yet random enough to ensure that not just anyone would know the answers.

"I seem to recall you having magnificent sapphire hair that summer, Hestia. Rivaled Tonks's on a good day!"

Dudley wondered who Tonks was and why would she have colored hair. He pushed the thought away for Bill's response. Bill must be one of the older redheads.

"Aw, Hestia, do I have to? It's embarrassing!"

"I don't care if you _are_ almost a married man now, William Weasley! I have children here and I'm charged with their safety!" Dudley had to admit, freak or not, he felt safer with Hestia at the door.

She was scary, and protective. As long as the fierceness wasn't directed at _him_ that is.

"Fine," Bill huffed, "I called you Hessie-Bessie."

Hestia opened the door. Dudley could hear it sliding against the rug in front of it.

"There now, that wasn't too hard, was it?" Mumbling was the only reply she got.

"You know, Bill," that must be his dad, "even though you're now an adult and almost a husband, some people like to remember you as a child. Your mother misses you. And it's no embarrassing crime to call someone a silly nickname when you yourself are less than two years old."

"I know, I know. Sorry dad." A cleared throat, "And you too, Hestia, of course."

"I knew your mother raised you polite," Hestia cooed in an obviously mock baby voice, causing some chuckles. Dudley raised an eyebrow. Hadn't someone just died today?

But it seemed the jokes were over for the night, though Dudley guessed Hestia had needed the lightness after the evening of grieving.

"Were you there, Arthur?"  
>"No, but Bill was." Dudley held in a gasp. Bill had been there when that other man died?<p>

"I'm so sorry, Hestia. I know he was like an uncle to you."

"What happened?" she whispered.

Bill replied slowly and softly. "There were Death Eaters everywhere," Dudley assumed those were the bad guys. He thought he might have heard Harry mention the name sometime. But really, what kind of frightening title was that?

"We were all split up, like we were supposed to be. I lost sight of Hagrid and Harry almost immediately. Fleur and I were together. She was Harry." Dudley wondered what kind of odd statement that was, before tuning back to the conversation before he missed any.

"We were by Mad-Eye, and he was with Mundungus. Worthless pile of shit!" Bill cursed suddenly, causing Dudley to jump. Was this freak dangerous? But then he caught himself. Dudley had to stop acting like his father—if Harry wasn't a dangerous freak in Dudley's mind anymore, then he needed to give all his kind a chance before judging.

He had missed part of the discussion. Hestia was talking now.

- left, leaving Madeye alone? That's why?

Ah. So that dung character had helped cause the Madeye guy's death. Yes, Dudley would have been angry too in that case.

"That's right. I went back with Remus later on, but his body was gone."

"But everyone else is ok?" There was an odd, tense silence. "Arthur?" Hestia snapped tersely, "What are you not telling me?"

"George was injured, Hestia. He'll be fine. He's already cracking jokes with Fred and planning the best way to milk Molly as long as possible. But he lost an ear. It was cursed off."

As Hestia gasped, Dudley gaped. One of the terror twins was hurt badly. He was only a little older than Dudley. He was old enough to fight and get hurt? And he did it simply to get Harry away from Privet Drive safely? Why?

"Oh, thank Merlin! No, not that George got hurt!" Hestia hurried to correct herself, "I was just worried that someone else had been… killed, or something. At least he'll recover. Right?"

"Yes, full recovery."

"Good," she sighed.

"And how was your trip, Hestia?" Arthur asked. Dudley could feel himself shrinking back into his seat, knowing that they were going to be talking about his family now. For the first time he felt fear—what would they do if they found him here, eavesdropping?

"It was as good as it could be, I suppose."

"Hestia, my dear, you know that they were going through a rough transition period, being pulled away from their lives—" But Hestia cut him off.

"Oh, come on, Arthur! You've met them! You've seen how they treat Harry! You know, the boy who's like another son to you? You can't tell me you honestly like them?"

"Well, I don't know, that is to say I'm not sure, that is—"

"Never mind, dad." Bill cut in. "You know he'll do that all night, Hestia."

"Yes, yes, I know." She sighed. "I just don't know how a woman like that can be related to sweet, kind, feisty, passionate, loving Lily Evans."

So that was his aunt's name. Lily. Dudley was amazed to discover that the name made him want to know more. Was his aunt really all those things Hestia described? How had she met his uncle? How had she found out about magic? Where did she fit in at that school of Harry's? How would she react to knowing how Harry's relatives had treated him?

He resolved to talk to Hestia sometime in the future.

As soon as he could work up the nerve. Whenever that would be…

"Ah Hestia. You forgot again. She was Lily Potter when she died."

"Ah yes. I supposed it's hard for me. They weren't married for very long before Harry, and so soon after she, they… died." She sounded choked up. She must have really liked Aunt Lily.

Aunt Lily. Dudley liked the sound of it.

Hestia continued, "They only actually _liked_ each other their seventh year. Or rather, I should say Lily only liked James."

Was that Harry's dad? Uncle James?

"James tried to get her to go on a date for the previous four years or so, but she refused. Vehemently. Each time. Finally she said yes, but for six years I'd heard her complaining around the clock about arrogant, rude, cocky James Potter. She once said she'd rather go out with the giant squid than with him!" Everyone chuckled.

There were some more reminiscing about Harry's parents, but that only lasted a couple moments more. Then the conversation seemed to be wrapping up.

"I promised Molly we wouldn't be long, Hestia. Bill wants to take a quick look at the wards now, so he knows what materials he'll need to update and improve them in the daylight. We'll both be by a lot in the next few weeks, but it's very late now. Maybe the twins will come by sometime, or Remus and Tonks."

"I'm going now, actually. Be right back, dad." Bill said quickly, and Dudley heard the door squeak open and closed quickly again.

"That sounds fine, Arthur." Hestia said when it clicked shut again. "Just be careful not to be tracked. Like I said, I'm in charge of the safety of these children. Though some _are_ of age now."

"Yes, but they all deserve the same treatment, as they aren't older by much. They're alone in the world, for the most part."

That made Dudley swallow hard. At least he had his parents.

"Oh, and Hestia?" Arthur asked her, bringing Dudley's attention back again as he yawned. It _was_ getting really late.

"Yes?"

"Don't be too hard on the Dursley boy. I know the family can be a bit of work, but Harry has hopes for his cousin. Said the boy wasn't as bad the last few weeks. He might be interested in learning while he's here, hmm?"

"All right, Arthur," Hestia huffed, "I'll be nice."

Dudley just blinked. Harry thought he deserved a chance? Really?

"Goodbye, Arthur. See you soon. Be careful, and pass that on to everyone else, okay?"

"Of course."

Dudley heard the door open again, and realized that the Weasleys were leaving now. Well, he had a lot to think about now. He hadn't heard much about Harry, but it had been enough. Maybe next time he'd actually talk to Arthur Weasley. He seemed nice enough.

As long as he left the twins at home.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: Okay, so a little weird with the flashback there, but I had already written the rest when I wanted to think about their first night, so it's just jumping a little. As long as it was understandable. Was it?_**

**_Please leave a quick review to let me know what you think. It really does help my inspiration. I write better after reading reviews. ;) And if anyone had anything in particular that they'd like Dudley to discover about Harry, he's going to learn about years 2-6 next chapter. So let me know what you'd like to see included, and I'll try my hardest!_**

**_In addition, next chapter will most likely jump ahead to the Ministry falling, and the rumors and tales that float around about the Trio being on their 'mission'. And be ready for some _Potterwatch_ in upcoming chapters as well!_**

**_And maybe we'll see Petunia taken down a peg at some point. Wouldn't that be nice?_**

**_-Books_**


	3. News, Confessions, and Real Friends

**_A/N: Hey all!_**

**_Sorry that this was a little later than I meant it to be. The good news is that because it's late, I got to make it long! I had a whole lot that I wanted to include, and it kept getting longer and longer, and still didn't get to put everything in that I wanted. :( But more for the next chapter!_**

**_Thank you for all the kind reviews! I always enjoy hearing what people think, and it keeps me inspired. I try to answer all reviews, and if you have anything you'd like to see added to this story, I'm always open to ideas! And constructive criticism. That's when you give me ways to improve, too. _**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own the Dursleys or any characters, places or ideas that seem familiar. Those all belong to J.K. Rowling, who is kind enough to share them with us. :)<strong>

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><p>That day in the game room Dudley didn't get to hear the full story of Harry's six years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It took a very long time for Ethan to get through the first year, what with all the interruptions from other Hogwarts students and Dudley's questions about the vocabulary they were using.<p>

(How the bloody hell was he supposed to know what a Bludger was?)

They had gotten interrupted by around midday by Sue, who had come to tell the teens that lunch was ready. Dudley had been eating with his parents at their little kitchen table every day since they had arrived, but the kids invited him to join them for their meal after the bonding they'd done that morning. In a very un-Dursley-like manner, Dudley had responded yes without thinking about it or second-guessing himself.

He soon decided that he had made the correct choice. The kids were all really nice to him, and he got to try some real wizarding food! He decided that Sue had very kindly (and wisely) only sent 'normal' food to Dudley's parents room, but this gave Dudley a chance to try the food that Harry liked.

There was some odd but delicious drink called pumpkin juice, different desserts than Dudley was used to, and the kids all used magic to pull dishes to them and to pass things to others! It was all very neat.

The next day was a study day for the youngsters in the house and Dudley used it to read some interesting books about wizarding history. Yes, Dudley Dursley was reading. But it was actually interesting reading to the youngest Dursley.

The oddest part for him, however, was when he got to a page about his cousin!

_Harry Potter is arguably the most famous wizard in the world, only __Perhaps second to Albus Dumbledore. After his defeat of the Dark Wizard __Voldemort two years ago_

Dudley checked the publishing date at this point, discovering that the book had come out over ten years ago,

_he was hidden away with relatives in the muggle world for his own safety __from the last of the dark lords supporters_.

There wasn't much more on Harry in that book but Dudley wasn't surprised about that.

His cousin had only been a toddler at the time, after all.

But after all this reading Dudley hadn't been able to escape his mother for the afternoon meaning that he couldn't meet with the Hogwarts students when they were done with their studying.

In fact, it was almost three days later when he saw them at all besides in passing in the hallways, and that was at a rather large gathering.

* * *

><p>Arthur Weasley had sent his son Bill over again this time with the twin terrors, who were actually on their best behavior. It alarmed Dudley to hear that apparently the Creevey brothers (Colin and his younger brother Dennis) worshiped the redhead twins.<p>

Hopefully they weren't as… talented as the Weasley brothers.

The redheaded men met with Hestia, Dedalus and Sue but they allowed the children to all join as well. Not everyone was interested. In fact, many of the teens were just at the safe house to keep _safe_, but didn't care about the war at all, besides keeping it far away from them.

Ethan had said to Dudley that it was fine, and no one made those students feel guilty for it. He said, "Not everyone is a foolhardy Gryffindor, and not just anyone is cut out to be a hero." Though it didn't all compute to Dudley's brain, he now knew that Gryffindor was the Hogwarts House associated with the brave and bold and was where Harry belonged.

So the students that did join the adults were just Ethan, Dennis, Justin, and a couple of girls from the various houses. Dudley had been invited to join and his mother couldn't find an excuse to keep him in their rooms. Dudley wanted to know more about this war.

Because apparently his younger cousin was going to be in the thick of it and was expected to win it.

"Any news, Bill?" Was the first thing out of Hestia's mouth.

"Not much official news. However, dad's really worried about the Ministry. He said he thinks Kingsley expects it to be overrun before the summer's out."

That caused gasps and wide eyes all around. Dudley didn't know much about the Ministry of Magic, but he knew it was their government. If it was overrun, that meant that the bad guys would have the power.

A lot of power.

Dudley assumed that would be bad.

"Is it… is it a certainty, Bill?"

The older man sighed, running a hand uncomfortably though his long, shoulder length hair. "Nothing is a certainty anymore, Hestia. You know that. Dad said he doesn't want to worry anyone, and that he hasn't even heard anything in so many words from Kingsley himself. He just thinks we should be aware of the possibility. He hasn't said a word at home though, knowing that mum would flip."

One of the twins snorted, and everyone looked over at them. Because looking at one twin was looking at both. Though for the first time, Dudley saw that one was missing an ear! And he remembered what their father had said on that first night—George had an ear cursed off helping Harry. Although it looked painful, and he felt bad for George, at least Dudley could tell which was which now…

It was Fred who had snorted.

"You know that's not the only reason dad kept quiet, Bill." At the curious looks from all around he continued speaking with a dramatic eye roll, "It's obvious that the three _munchkins_ are planning on leaving the second the wedding is over, and mum is already freaking out about it. If Harry got an inkling that the Ministry was in trouble, he wouldn't wait till after the festivities."

George took over for his brother here. "And there's no way that Ron and Hermione would let him go alone, so they'd all be gone within a day. Harry would be crazy with worry about bringing danger on all of us."

"Yeah," Fred added here, "Ginny has already accused him all summer of being a noble prat."

All three brothers nodded, looking slightly confused. Colin Creevey broke in here, contrary to them by being excited. He was almost bouncing in his seat.

"You all know about Harry and Ginny, right?"

The brothers shook their heads in unison, looking comical. Bill broke the silence. "What about them? They're friends now that Ginny's over her shyness, right?"

"Yeah," Colin said, while the other adults and students looked on in bemusement, and Dudley wondered what the hell this was about, "but they were dating towards the end of last year."

"_Dating?_" All three Weasley brothers asked in the same incredulous voice, before George-the-ear-less turned to his twin with a self-satisfied smile and his hand held out in a beckoning gesture in front of him.

"You, my brother, owe me five galleons. I told you it would be before Harry graduated!"

Everyone else was gaping at this point. And Dudley was stunned.

Harry had a girlfriend?

"Wait a second," Bill Weasley's voice was deceptively calm and smooth, "You mean to tell me that you two bet on our baby sister's love life?"

"No," George answered, for once perfectly serious. "Only on her and Harry. It's been obvious to us for a while that they belong together."

"Are they still dating?" Fred asked Colin eagerly.

"No," he shook his head sadly. "I think Harry thought You-Know-Who would target her. They broke up, and both seemed severely depressed, though it was right when Dumbledore's funeral was, so everyone was depressed anyway."

The Weasley boys didn't look like they quite knew what to say to that, so Hestia broke the silence this time.

"So Bill, anything besides the ministry that we should know about?"

"Not from me," he answered her, "but the twins have an announcement."

Everyone looked to the twins with curiosity. They were obviously basking in the attention, until Bill slapped them on the back of their heads, one hand per twin. They rubbed their heads with pouts.

"What was that for?" They asked impetuously at the same time.

"You two are about to discuss serious matters about the war. Do you really want to be acting like that now?

To Dudley's amazement both twins looked chastened at this, like they actually had consciences to be aware of. But Dudley knew how involved in the war the whole redhead family was, and that even the children were active. He supposed the twins had to be somewhat mature.

"Of course, Bill." One answered. Fred turned to the surrounding people.

"Our friend Lee Jordan," who was apparently popular at their school, as Colin started cheering until he caught the annoyed moods around him and shut up, "and us are starting a radio program. You are all the first to hear about this, but we figured being isolated here, you might appreciate it. We will have regular guest speakers, and this radio show will be all truthful, light fighters' news. We will have to move around a lot to broadcast safely. We wanted to tell you that it will be password accessed. The first one will be the Monday after Bill's wedding in August, and the password is going to be 'Lemon Drop'."

Apparently that was funny, as the entire room started snorting with amusement. Dudley didn't get the reference, but made note to ask Ethan about it later.

"Listen to it. We guarantee that if you want true news, we will deliver in a way that is too dangerous for anyone else to accomplish lately."

"Yeah," George muttered, "like the way that _The Quibbler_ is the only real source of printed news that can be trusted right now."

"That's a shock, alright." His twin agreed.

Dudley didn't know what '_The Quibbler_' was, but he thought the name sounded frankly ridiculous.

"When's the wedding?" One girl questioned. Dudley thought that was a good point, if they wanted the residents of this house to listen to their radio show on a specified day.

"Ah, good point. Wedding's next weekend. The house is in an uproar right now, but we'll be ready."

The talk bubbled down to small talk and chatting at this point, leaving smaller groups around the room. Fred and George went to talk to Ethan, who was only about a year younger than them, according to the quick figuring that Dudley did in his head.

"Hey, mate. How are you?" Fred asked his, shaking Ethan's hand and waiting as the younger boy shook George's as well.

"Pretty good. Things have been quiet around here lately, thankfully. I'm sure it's nowhere near as exciting as your life, but that might be a good thing."

"Yes, probably. There's been a lot of shouting at the Burrow lately."

Fred noticed Dudley's not so subtle eavesdropping, and saw his confused look. "Burrow is our house, mate. Dudley Dursley, right?" he questioned.

"Y-yes. That's me."

Dudley couldn't tell what Fred thought of this, but he gave Dudley a short nod before continuing his conversation with Ethan. The twins knew Harry well—at least better than Ethan from what Dudley could tell—and he hoped that they wouldn't say something that would ruin the chance for him to make a friend here, by talking about how horrible he was to Harry in front of Ethan. Though he knew that he'd have to tell some of the kids at some point…

"What kind of yelling?" Ethan asked the twins now, "Your siblings stumbling on your inventions kind, or attacks against the family kind?"

"Neither, thank Merlin!" George answered emphatically. "The first would be detrimental to the health of myself and Fred, and the latter detrimental to the health of the whole family. No, this is trio-wanting-private-time-to-plan-their-great-escape-but-mum keeps-them-apart-no-matter-what kind of yelling."

"Trust us," Fred added forcefully, "it's just as ugly as the experiments and inventions kind of shouting. They're determined to leave no matter what. Personally, we think that she should give them time together. If they leave without planning then they'll have more likelihood of trouble."

"But, they do have Hermione." George said, and that seemed enough for all three young men to be consoled. From what Dudley had heard, this Hermione was the brains of Harry's group, while Harry was the force and raw talent.

Dudley hoped that Harry would be all right. He hadn't been able to find out yet _why_ his cousin and his best friends wanted to leave the Weasley's house or what they were planning on doing once they were gone, but he assumed it would be dangerous.

"Now," Fred continued, "have you heard anything about Ginny and Harry, Ethan? This was the first that we've heard. Though both have been the most subdued that we've ever seen them this summer. Ginny's almost as bad as she was after the chamber her first year," from the shudders Dudley could tell he shouldn't ask, but he made a mental note to find out when he eventually heard the story of Harry's second year, "and Harry hasn't been this bad since the summer before his fifth year. I mean, the year after was bad because Sirius, his godfather," he added for Dudley's confused benefit, "died, and this year could be because Dumbledore died, but it might be more."

"What was so bad summer before his fifth year?" Ethan asked curiously, obviously scanning his memory for events, "Things weren't really all that bad yet. Was it the _Prophet's_ articles?"t

That reminded Dudley that at least he wasn't the only one out of the loop. Though he wished that _he_ knew his cousin, his blood, as well as the Weasleys did.

"Nope. Actually, until he came and joined us that summer he didn't know about them using his name to ridicule him. No, it was being stuck in the '_Ancient_ and _Noble_ House of Black'," said with great sarcasm, "with a depressed godfather and waiting to see if he would be expelled from school."

"Oh yeah, that! There were rumors about that, but I didn't believe a word. Did he really have a hearing?"

"Yep. He used the patronus charm—which he should have been congratulated on because he was only fifteen at the time and that's seriously hard magic—to get rid of a couple of Dementors that Umbridge sent after him. He saved his soul and someone else's from being sucked out, and they almost snapped his wand and expelled him from school. Leaving him vulnerable to You-Know-Who."

The twins shared looks of the utmost revulsion. But Dudley had just realized what they were talking about.

The time a couple of years ago when Harry had saved his life. Or at least his soul.

And in return he'd gotten the boy in trouble with his parents, made fun of his nightmares, and he'd almost been expelled from school.

Yeah, he was a terrific cousin.

* * *

><p>The next day Dudley was finally able to talk to the other kids again. Petunia was preoccupied, though Dudley couldn't even discover what she was doing. She spent hours every day locked in the bedroom, while Vernon slept on the couch and watched the small TV that the wizards had brought and enchanted to work for him. Dudley decided he'd talk to his mother soon and make sure she was all right, as they were long overdue for a heart-to-heart about Harry, magic and Aunt Lily now anyways.<p>

But he left her alone for now.

He headed back to the game room, and found a massive chess tournament going on. Luckily he managed to control his reaction this time. The first time he'd walked in on Ethan and Justin playing wizard's chess, he'd shrieked and jumped away in terror.

But even though the pieces talked and moved, they weren't that bad.

The giant set from Harry's first year, however, sounded terrifying.

"So," Dudley asked after the game was over (with Ethan the valiant winner and Justin trying his hardest not to sulk), trying to sound casual, "what terrifying and deathly adventures happened Harry's second year?"

"That year," Colin Creevey answered, "was the year that a giant basilisk was let out of the Chamber of Secrets and I was one of the kids who got petrified!"

Now Dudley didn't understand any of that, or know what kind of 'petrified' Colin meant, but it didn't sound good. He didn't know why the boy was so excited about it.

Ethan answered that for Dudley.

"Colin is just excited that he was part of the action, but it's really not a good thing. See, there were rumors of a secret, ancient chamber far below the castle from the time of the Hogwarts founders, centuries ago. Salazar Slytherin was the founder of Slytherin house, the place where the ambitious students get sorted. It just so happens that a lot of the dark wizards and witches come from that house primarily, though there are some from every house in Hogwarts. The tales said that Slytherin had the same views that his students mostly have now, and that he left a monster in the chamber. It was to come out when his heir called it, and purge the school of the ones he felt weren't worthy to attend and use magic—the muggle borns."

Dudley gasped. "How horrible! It killed them? Why did no one get rid of it if there were stories about it?"

"See, Dudley, it was thought to be a myth. No one had heard or seen proof of the Chamber of Secrets before. So no one believed it existed. My third year, however, we were proved wrong. Starting with a cat and moving onto students and even ghosts, people were getting petrified. It's when the body just freezes in place, and a very complicated potion has to be brewed to unfreeze them.

"No one knew what was causing this and no one knew how to stop it. When a girl was taken into the Chamber, though, it seems that Harry and Ron followed them."

"You forgot an important part!" A girl, Sally Anne, Dudley remembered her being introduced as, interrupted. "See," she told Dudley, "Hermione had been petrified, and the three of them were really close by that point, and they hadn't started arguing really badly like they did in later years. So Harry and Ron were really eager to solve the mystery and get their friend back."

"Not to mention," Colin added, "that the girl taken into the Chamber was Ginny Weasley. She's the youngest Weasley, the only girl and Ron's little sister. So there's no way Harry and Ron would let her die there, particularly after the Weasley family had all but adopted Harry as their own!"

Dudley knew the name Ginny sounded familiar in relation to Harry, but there had been too much new information in the last couple of weeks, and he found himself unable to remember who had mentioned her, and when.

Meanwhile, Ethan was glaring at the two 'helpers'. "You guys think you can do a better job? Huh?"

"No, not at all Ethan!" Sally Anne hurried to reassure him. "We just wanted Dudley to understand!"

Ethan smiled at the pretty brunette. "I know, Sally. I was just giving you a hard time. Everyone cool if I continue?" There were nods all around, so Ethan cleared his throat dramatically and continued the tale.

"No one knows precisely what happened down in that Chamber. Ron Weasley was cut off from Harry as well. But afterwards, Harry led Ron, Ginny, and our Defense Professor from that year through the halls, covered in slime and blood, following Dumbledore's phoenix and holding the bloody sword of Godric Gryffindor and the school Sorting Hat."

"Um, I think I actually understood most of that. But what sword, and what hat?" Dudley expected laughter, and cringed in anticipation. But everyone looked at him with guilty expressions.

"Sorry, Dudley. I forget you don't know everything, and it's not your fault. Just let me know when you need clarification, okay?" Dudley nodded his head, and Ethan explained.

"As you can tell from the name, Godric Gryffindor was the founder of Gryffindor House, from the same time as Slytherin. His sword was thought to be lost forever, but it can apparently come in times of great need to a 'true Gryffindor'. I think we all agree that Harry fits the bill." There was a chorus of agreements, as people shouted out how brave and heroic and kind Harry was. Dudley sat in amazement, until Ethan shot some purple sparks out of his wand to restore order.

"Thank you." He said as the last kid sat back down, and he cleared his throat again. "Where was I? Oh, yes. And the sorting hat is a very old hat from the time of Godric Gryffindor himself. It was his hat, and he enchanted it to be able to sort students into houses at Hogwarts. It gets put on the student's head and is able to see from their personality which house they'd best fit in."

Dudley's mind was reeling. A _hat_ put them in their house for the next seven years? But it seemed this was commonplace for the students. None of them seemed very interested.

"Later on, we heard from others in Gryffindor Tower that Harry had killed the sixty foot Basilisk with that sword. A Basilisk," he added for Dudley's sake, "is an enormous snake that can kill you with it's eyes. The petrified students only saw the refection of the eyes, or with something blocking their full view."

Dudley gulped in terror.

* * *

><p>A few days later, Dudley was working out in the gym when Ethan sought him out. Dedalus had assured him that all the machines were the muggle standards of normal, except none with electricity would work normally, so those were enchanted. It had taken a few days, but Dudley eventually worked up the courage to use an enchanted treadmill.<p>

It had worked wonderfully, so now he ran and lifted weights every day for a few hours. It made up somewhat for not being able to leave the house, which got pretty depressing after a while. Even if they did have windows and enchanted ceilings and all those other ways of lightening the house…

There was a knock on the partly open door. "Dudley?" Ethan's voice called out, "are you in here?"

"Yeah!" Dudley called back, "C'mon in!" He hopped on the bench he'd been using while he lifted weights, and grabbed a towel to mop at his face. "What's up?" He questioned his friend as Ethan tentatively walked into the room and sat in a chair near Dudley.

"I had a… question. But I don't want you to feel obligated to… answer or whatever, if you're not comfortable."

Dudley wasn't sure what this was about, but he assumed he wouldn't like it if Ethan was hesitant to talk about it.

But he wouldn't deny someone who felt like his first _real_ friend.

Was this how Harry felt his first year at Hogwarts?

"Sure Ethan. You can ask me anything."

"Well, the thing is, I heard the Weasley twins talking once, at school, about Harry and his relatives, and such." Dudley felt his heart sink. "You guys more than 'not get along', don't you?"

Dudley heaved a sigh. "My mum and dad brought me up to hate Harry," He admitted sadly. "It's only lately that I've started to use my brain and think for myself. My mum had some sort of problems with her sister, I think, and my dad hates anything that isn't classified as his definition of 'normal'. So they've both hated Harry since he was left at our house."

Ethan nodded sadly, as if this was what he had expected. "But you've been spending time with us, asking questions and all. You're interested, right?"

"Yeah! I really am!" Dudley hastened to reassure him. "It's all stuff I should have asked Harry about years ago, but it's kinda hard to think something for yourself when your parents have been brainwashing you to believe something since you were old enough to talk, you know?"

Ethan laughed with relief. "Yeah, I know. I understand. What matters is that you care now. Can ask you another question, something that might be a little more personal?"

"Sure."

"Were you the one with Harry, that night he almost got expelled and had to chase those Dementors away?" Dudley felt his breath whoosh out of him with surprise. Ethan hurried on, "it's just that you looked so shocked and scared when the Weasleys brought it up, and both gave you pretty unhappy looks, like they knew more than the rest of us, which is almost always true of Weasleys when it concerns Harry Potter, though they never even know all of it…" He trailed off, looking at Dudley with concern. "Are you angry?"

"No. No, I'm not angry. I was with Harry that night." Dudley debated whether or not to tell Ethan about it, but found the words pouring out anyway. "We were walking home, after he caught up with me when my friends went home. Which was a good thing—by that point I was too scared to bully Harry, but my friends would have been wondering why I wouldn't bait him.

"I was scared of his wand, but they wouldn't understand that.

"We were on our way home, and he was teasing me about something silly, like a nickname. Something that I'm sure even normal siblings tease each other about, and he wasn't even using a malicious tone of voice. So I don't know why I did it."

He looked over at Ethan, who was listening intently but looked like he didn't want to interrupt.

"I started into him about his nightmares. Our rooms share a wall, and I heard him moaning and crying out in his sleep. And of course, I went for the most severe form of mocking that I could, just out of defense. I didn't know what his first two years at school were like—how should I have known his fourth was even worse!

"I started teasing him about a name he called out in his sleep, and the fact that he called to his parents, too. The name was probably some kid at school. Do you know someone named Cedric?"

Dudley heard Ethan's sharp gasp before he had the courage to look at him and see the shock on his face. Ethan cleared his throat.

"Cedric was my age. He was a… mate of mine."

"What happened to him?" Dudley was whispering, Ethan too, like speaking any louder would break the protective bubble around them that was allowing them to speak so openly.

"He died, Harry's fourth year. He was in a tournament at school, and Harry was somehow entered as well even though he was too young. I'm sorry to admit that while the Gryffindors were proud of him, we believed he entered himself illegally, and the rest of the school hated his guts for most of the year. We're finicky, the wizarding community as a whole, hating and loving famous people based on the press.

"Poor Harry deals with that daily.

"At the end of the tournament, Harry and Cedric reached the trophy in the middle of a maze at the same time. But the cup had been bewitched, and it took them somewhere. No one knows what happened there besides Harry, I assume his closest friends, and Dumbledore knew. But You-Know-Who came back that night, though the Ministry didn't believe it. So it must have been terrifying, and I'm not surprised that Harry had nightmares.

"But when he came back to school that night, he was clutching Cedric's dead body."

Dudley choked back a gasp, and a sob.

God! He'd really teased his cousin about that? Scrawny Harry, hero of his world, his own flesh and blood, and he'd teased him about witnessing his friend and classmate being murdered?

Dudley was a monster.

"Dudley?" Ethan asked cautiously, and Dudley thought that at least Ethan wasn't too angry to speak to him. "What happened, that night with the Dementors?"

Right—he hadn't finished the story. Well, if he was going to be well and depressed anyway…

"I had made him so mad that he pulled his wand out—understandably. But then everything went dark and cold, and I assumed he had used his wand to do something to me. But looking back, I was panicking and couldn't hear the frantic tone to his voice, and the fear.

"Then suddenly I was having trouble breathing. I couldn't see anything—Harry said muggle can't?" Ethan nodded yes. "But I could see _things_. I remembered a time that I thought I was too young to remember, but I think it's the day that I changed into the person I was until this summer.

"I think I'd been teasing and poking Harry, and all, since he came to us. But this day things were taken too far, and I couldn't back out."

And he relayed that scene to Ethan.

_Flashback_

_June 23, 1984_

_Dudley's Fourth Birthday_

_ "Mummy! Mummy! I want!" Little Dudley pointed to a cupcake high on the counter, left over from his party earlier that day._

_ "Of course, Popkin. Let Mumsie get it for you, hmm?" Petunia reached over and unwrapped the pastry, letting her son have his fifth for the day, which he eagerly stuffed in his mouth._

_ There was a creak, and both mother and son looked over to see the small cupboard under the stairs creak open, and Freak, also known as Harry, poked his head out, blinking up at them in the bright light._

_ "Boy! Good—there you are!" Petunia snarled. "There's clean up for you to do!"_

_ Dudley amused himself poking and tripping Harry as he worked around the house for several hours, until that bored him. Knowing his father would be home soon, and knowing he was more tolerant when Dudley bullied Harry, he poked Harry harder, more like a slap, and watched as the tiny boy went into a wall._

_ "Freak!" he taunted, as Harry clumsily and awkwardly climbed to his feet, and tried to get back across the room to wipe the table down, but Dudley hit him again, watching as he fell again._

_ He did this several more times, until Harry didn't get up again. And despite himself, Dudley was worried. _

_ What did it mean that Harry wasn't standing up? Had Dudley hit too hard? He didn't mean to really hurt him… Hadn't daddy said that freaks couldn't really get hurt? Dudley didn't want to really hurt Harry._

_ But as soon as Dudley stopped and was about to help Harry up, he heard his father's voice from the doorway._

_ "No Dudley, you're doing great. Freaks like him need that freakishness stamped from them. You're doing a good job, son!"_

_ A good job? Hurting Harry?_

_ But his father was still encouraging him. "He's already on the floor, Dudders! Just kick him a few times! Go ahead!"_

_ Dudley looked at his dad uncertainly, but did as told. And did it again. And again. And again until his dad left the doorway._

_ "Keep up the good work, son. I'm proud of you."_

_ That made Dudley well with pride, and he wandered away from Harry to go play with some new toys. But something made him look back at the small figure curled into a ball on the kitchen floor._

_He looked right back into betrayed, bright green eyes, swimming with tears._

_ And he decided right then and there that he was never going to make those eyes make him feel bad again._

_ He was going to make his daddy proud of him._

_End Flashback_

Ethan looked at Dudley with dismay, and Dudley was worried that his new friend would go running out the door. Not only would that be terrible, but it would also make staying at this house unbearable.

"Oh Dudley. So everything that happened to Harry at your hands in later years can really be traced back to the monster you have for a dad, huh?"

Dudley had never thought about it that way before, but if he looked at it that way, then yes it could.

God, how had Harry stopped himself from murdering Dudley's dad as soon as he was allowed to do magic legally outside of school?

"So, you're not angry with me? I mean, you still want to be friends?" Dudley asked hesitatingly.

"Of course, Dudley! It's who you are now that I'm friends with. Want to go beg some ice cream off of Sue? She's really a softie. I'll tell you about some of the Weasley twins' exploits at school. Oh, and especially the week that they left school with a bang, when they dropped out to open their shop!"

And Dudley thought as they walked out of the room together, that if this was what it was like to have a true friend then he liked it a whole lot.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: Hey there! Thanks for reading this ridiculoudly long chapter! You like? Please review and let me know!_**

**_Here's a little preview of ideas I want to include in the next chapter, though it's all open to change. I don't know exactly what I want in it yet anyway!_**

**_He's going to hear about year three, and maybe four as well, since we got a bit on four in this one, and most of three is a mystery to the general Hogwarts population..._**

**_The news about the trio leaving will come to our Manor, and we'll get the first episode of _Potterwatch_ as well._**

**_We're going to have a mother/son heart to heart with Petunia, and maybe see where she was coming from all those years._**

**_And who would like to see a game of Quidditch? _**

**_Okay, thanks for reading!_**

**-Books**


	4. Panic, Potterwatch, and a Guest

**_A/N: Hello everyone! I'm sorry that this was a little later than I was anticipating... blame it on the fact that there was so much that I wanted to include, and not all of it would fit!_**

**_As it is, I'm very sorry to say that not everything that I promised will be in here. :( The stuff that I did do was just too long as it was. Longer than 5,000 words on my word processor! _**

**_But, everything that I mentioned will be included eventually. I'm much too attached to all of my ideas to give any up, so I'll just keep expanding the amount of chapters!_**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: Everything here recognizable- so many of the characters and some events and ideas - belong to the amazing JK Rowling. She really is incredible, and I'm so happy to be able to share in her world keep <em>Potter<em> fans entertained with new plots.**

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><p>Dudley became closer to all the kids in the house over the next couple weeks, but in particular Ethan, Sally Anne and Justin. They were all his age or around it, all very nice, and all willing not to judge him based on his past behavior.<p>

Not everyone seemed so willing, though honestly, Dudley admitted the Weasley clan had adequate reasons. Mr. Weasley was very nice whenever he stopped by, but his sons weren't always so kind when he wasn't there with them.

There was a tense day not long after Dudley's confession to Ethan. It was actually the day after the wedding, so admittedly tensions were running high anyway for everyone involved with that—the Weasleys in particular. Dudley had heard conversations, and knew that getting Harry disguised properly was making several people nervous about his safety.

The day of the wedding—the night of, actually—the same silver shape came hurdling into the dining room, scaring Dudley senseless, and scaring everyone else when they heard the message.

It was the same voice that came out of it, though the shape was one again hidden—by Sue this time.

"Stay in the Manor—Don't leave for any reasons at all! I'll send someone to speak to you tomorrow, but the Ministry has fallen! The Burrow is being attacked as we speak. More news first thing tomorrow, but activate the extra defenses now, and be on your guard all night."

Then it was gone, and chaos left in its wake.

* * *

><p>"What does this mean?" Dudley asked Ethan after the older boy had gotten all the children into the game room. The adults were running around, looking frantic but very organized. Dudley realized they really were prepared for anything.<p>

But they wanted the children out of the way.

"Well, they knew something like this might happen eventually," Ethan explained, not only for Dudley's benefit but for all the younger children who were looking worried and listening attentively to him, "and they want to keep us all safe. They have extra wards to activate that only let certain people in unless there's a password, one that keep Death Eaters out, and there's ones to close up the floo," Dudley remembered that was the scary way of traveling though a fireplace. It had terrified him to see Dedalus come through green flames the other day, "and many more. Not all of them were necessary before, but they are now."

"But what about this house?" One little girl asked. "Surely the Ministry knows it's here, and so now _He_ must know as well."

There were murmurs of agreement here, but the older kids didn't look worried.

It was Sally Anne who answered her. "A friend of mine at school is Susan Bones, the niece of the late Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry. Susan lived with her Auntie Amelia after her parents died in the first war, but her Auntie was killed recently because she was on the light side and so high up in the Ministry. Luckily Susan had a cousin who was of age that she could live with, and she had plenty of money to provide for herself.

"See," she added mostly for Dudley's benefit, "the Bones are a very old, very wealthy pureblood family. In wars like this one they are always light or neutral, but they are old purebloods all the same. It's obvious that they are different than most, though. Susan befriended me, a muggle-born, after all!

"When her Auntie died, she left Susan everything to inherit as soon as she came of age, since Amelia didn't have any children herself. Susan's seventeenth birthday was midway though our sixth year, and she immediately contacted Kingsley Shacklebolt—who sent that Patronus message, Dudley. He's a main source of information in the Ministry—though he may have to leave, now—and he's an auror, a dark wizard catcher, who fights for our side. She knew him through her aunt, and she told him that her aunt had left her several properties she wouldn't be using that were passed down every generation through the Bones family. She assumed that muggle-borns might need a place to hide eventually, and asked him if he could use a house of hers.

"She assumed that her Auntie would want her to do something to assist. It destroyed her when Amelia died, and she wanted to help without directly endangering herself, and do it in her Auntie's name."

Everyone was looking around the room, and the mansion in general, with amazement now.

"This property is one that hadn't been lived in for years before this summer. One of the reasons that Weasleys always visit this house in particular when there are other safe houses, is because most of them helped fix it up in some way during the past few months before summertime. It wasn't always this lavish, though it's always been enchanted to be larger and very nice. So, you see, the Ministry has no idea what it's been being used as. They don't even know it's been inhabited again. For all they know, the Bones family could have knocked it down a hundred years ago!"

Everyone giggled slightly at that, feeling the tension leave the room a bit.

* * *

><p>They weren't told anything at all until a few hours later. There was a 'House Meeting', where the children, Dedalus, Hestia and Sue all met in the living room downstairs.<p>

"Children, from what we've been able to ascertain everything is alright and safe now for the night. However, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has seized control of the Ministry, so we have to be extra careful about what we do and when we go out. We don't want you children to leave at all, and we'll most likely have fewer visitors. In addition, Hestia and I will be around more."

Hestia took over for Dedalus at that point. "We will have some people come over here tomorrow—most likely some Weasleys or Remus Lupin—to tell us what is going to happen now and what we can likely expect in the future." Dudley saw some kids exchange gleeful looks at the second name there, but he didn't recognize it, that he could recall.

"For now, we recommend that you all get a good nights sleep. Tomorrow will most likely bring an early visit."

And the kids, for once, did as they were told.

* * *

><p>The next morning did dawn bright and early. Dudley didn't wake his parents, not up for another interrogation, but slipped out the door and downstairs just as the sun breached the horizon.<p>

He reached the first floor just as a knock sounded on the front door.

Now, Dudley had been accused of being an idiot and stupid for years, many times (deserved) from his cousin as well. But Dudley Dursley knew that even before the message the night before that he shouldn't answer the door. So he ran to the kitchen.

"Sue!" He called loudly and with a panicked edge, "Sue!"

"Dudley?" Sue had been putting bread in the oven. "What's the matter? What are you doing up?"

"I came downstairs and there was a knock on the door!"

Sue immediately straightened up and headed for the doorway to the hall at that. "Thank you for getting me, Dudley. While I assume no Death Eater would knock on the door this early in the morning, it is better to be safe, hmm?"

She didn't wait for an answer, but rushed for the door.

After the normal security questions she opened the door, but it revealed more than just Mr. Weasley. With him was another redheaded young man a little shorter than Bill whom Dudley didn't recognize. Dudley hadn't met him, but thought that this was probably Charlie. That was the only Weasley brother besides the estranged one that he had yet to be introduced to. He was very cool looking, shorter and stocky like the twins with very short hair and what seemed like a painted-on smirk on his face. He was wearing jeans and a dark button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and Dudley could see old burns all up and down his arms.

Yes, this was the one that worked with dragons. Pretty neat.

There was also an older-looking man with messy brown hair, intelligent amber eyes and numerous scars. He was wearing lightweight robes like Mr. Weasley, and looked a little scary. But he also looked tired, and his eyes were kind enough seeming to Dudley. Dudley thought maybe he'd seen this man before, at the train station, picking Harry up.

He was holding hands with a younger woman with bright violet hair and shining eyes. She looked like a happy person who was very unhappy at the moment. The age difference between the two was startling to Dudley, but then they looked at each other for a moment, and even dense Dudley could tell that they loved each other.

And behind them was something that caused Dudley to blink with surprise. It was a tall, black wizard. Dudley recognized him as the man that his father saw on television what seemed like years ago, but was merely weeks. It was the one guy… King something or other. Harry had said he was very important…

It was probably the Shacklebolt guy that Sally Anne had mentioned! With the Ministry falling, it made sense that he'd come to check on people in hiding.

But even seeing him among so many other people wasn't the surprising part. It was seeing the sight in his arms: a weak-looking, but very pretty, redheaded girl.

She was obviously a Weasley. The youngest, then. The only girl.

Jenny? Was that her name?

Well, all that Dudley knew was that he'd need to be careful around her. He'd noticed that the closer that Weasleys got to his age, the more angry with him they were. Bill and Mr. Weasley were kinder and he didn't know about Charlie yet, but the twins were always glaring at him, or making it obvious that their politeness was faked or mocking.

Luckily he hadn't met Ron. Yet. He didn't want to think about how Harry's best mate felt about him. He knew even the twins didn't know a fraction about Harry's childhood.

Even with how private Harry could be, Dudley just _knew_ that Ron would know and infer more.

But he didn't know how close this Weasley was to Harry. He felt like he'd been told, but had forgotten… too much information in too short a time, he assumed.

"Arthur! Merlin, what happened?" Sue exclaimed, immediately stepping back to let them in.

"We'll tell you in one moment, Sue, not to worry. But could we please retire to a room where Ginny could lie down?" Dudley noticed that the girl—Ginny! He'd have to remember that—was awake, but she looked like she uncomfortable.

"Of course! Right this way."

Sue led the whole progression to a room on the first floor with a large couch on which Kingsley put Ginny to rest straight away. Everyone else took seats, but right as Arthur opened his mouth the door creaked open.

"Sue, any information?" Ethan seemed to be trying to stay polite, but the door flew open after the figure behind him got a glance at the room.

"GINNY!" It was Colin Creevey, who was Ginny's age. They must be in the same classes, and maybe friends, Dudley mused.

"What's wrong, what happened, are you okay?" The poor boy seemed on the verge on hysteria, but Ginny just smiled at him.

"I'll be fine, Colin. They attacked the Burrow yesterday and I got some _Cruciatus_, and Mum and Dad are worried about me. I might stay here a bit." Dudley knew that sounded like a curse of some sort, and he figured it was a very bad one from the expressions around him.

"Torture," Ethan whispered to him. Dudley started. He hadn't even seen Ethan come over to him. But he gave the other boy a thankful look for the help.

Ginny had been tortured. She couldn't be older than sixteen. What was the world coming to?

That Ginny was to stay there seemed like news to everyone in the room, but they seemed agreeable to the idea. Colin looked ecstatic, after the worry passed, and took the seat that Sue pointed him to.

"Arthur?" Dudley looked around. He hadn't even noticed that Hestia had come in! And Dedalus was with her. "Is it okay to have so many people in here? What kind of information do you have?"

All the children knew that was her way of asking if she should send them out. But they knew better than to argue with Hestia by this point, even if they wanted to stay. Besides Dudley, Colin and Ethan, Justin and Molly had come in, and Dennis, Sally Anne, and her friend Penny. And it went without saying that whatever was said in front of these kids would be told to the others.

"Dad." Dudley barely heard Ginny's whisper, but he knew she was trying to be quiet for a reason. "Remember what happened when people tried to keep things from Harry? Granted I don't think anyone will die this time," Dudley gaped at her. Someone died from Harry being kept in the dark? He needed to hear that story… "But it's better if everyone hears. This war isn't just the adults'—we're all involved."

Dudley thought that was very well said, and apparently the adults agreed.

"Don't worry, Ginny. I wasn't planning sending anyone out. And I don't have classified information, anyway. It's fine, Hestia." He added with a nod to the witch, who nodded back to him.

Mr. Weasley sighed heavily. "Okay, here's what happened. I hear Kingsley sent you a message yesterday?" Kingsley and Hestia both indicated that he had. "Yes, well we got one too, right during the reception. Bill's gone with Fleur now," Dudley had heard that was the name of Bill's new wife, "which is why he's not here with me. By the way," Mr. Weasley interrupted himself suddenly, "let me introduce everyone with me for whoever doesn't already know!

"This is my second oldest son, Charlie. He works in Romania but is stationed in Britain now, for obvious reasons… he's recently arrived, but is staying for the foreseeable future.

"This is Remus Lupin," he gestured to the brown haired man, and Dudley realized his was the name that had gained attention the previous day. "Some of you might have been there and remember when he taught Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts some years ago."

"Of course we remember—you were best Defense Professor that we've ever had!" Justin called out to the man, followed by many shouts of agreement. It all caused the man to blush a bit and look down bashfully, and the violet haired woman to smirk widely at him.

"This is his wife, who goes by Tonks." Dudley didn't have time to ponder how odd that was before Mr. Weasley continued, "It is her maiden name, and for those of you muttering," the students stopped guiltily, but he only smiled at them softly, "they only got married this summer, which is why you never heard of your Professor Lupin having a wife.

"This is Kingsley Shacklebolt, who many of you most likely know of. He's our most important source in the Ministry and an auror. And this is my daughter Ginny, but I think almost all of you know her already, from school. So, where was I?" He asked himself, but immediately went back into his narration with barely a thought.

"We tried to keep things calm at home with the guests, but it was hysteria as soon as the message ended. I lost sight of Ron and the rest instantly, but they made it out in time." There was a collective breath of relief at that. Dudley thought it seemed odd, however, that these people took it at face value that a wedding would be attacked for one teenager. Maybe it was normal for them?

"However, we don't know where the three of them are. I sent them a message late last night telling them that we were safe, but to not answer us. I didn't know who might see it on either end.

"We got all the wedding guests away before the 'Ministry' showed up." He snorted, an unusually cynical sound for the kind man. "Death Eaters is more like it! They wanted news on Harry's whereabouts, and as much as Molly had wanted to know where they were going, it was a good thing that we didn't know last night. They couldn't get the information from us, and they could tell whether we were being truthful in our ignorance. It might have saved our lives. It certainly saved Ginny's."

"What happened to you, Ginny?" Colin asked, looking much more subdued now.

"Simple," Ginny snorted, "the great prat broke up with me to keep me from being targeted, and then some bullies come with pictures of me and orders to do whatever they need to get Harry's whereabouts." She pouted, but the reactions around the room were much more varied. Some people were gaping, some had worried looks, and some were visibly angry (Charlie, for instance).

Dudley, however, was remembering where he'd heard the name Ginny before. When they were talking about Harry having a girlfriend! Harry had gone out with this pretty girl? When had that happened?

Mr. Weasley sighed. "Ginny, we've talked about this. I believe Harry did what he thought was best. And even if he hurt you, and even if we're all upset with him for that, there's no need to talk like that and upset people. Who knows where they are, Princess; we don't need your mother getting more upset."

Ginny sighed. "Yes, daddy. Sorry." She looked down. Dudley could tell that she was simply hurt by whatever had happened between her and Dudley's cousin, and that she was truly remorseful for talking that way about Harry when he was surely in danger.

She still liked him, Dudley could tell. And she was worried. It must be channeling into sarcasm and annoyance. She most likely wasn't like that normally.

Then again, what was normal about any of their lives, right now?

The talk moved to plans for the future weeks, and who was doing what, when, and why. It seemed like a lot to have to think about and organize, and it wasn't very interesting. The kids slowly drifted out of the room to do other activities.

In the end it was decided that Ginny would stay with them in the Manor a week at most—enough for her to get over a torture curse of some kind that was used on her, and also long enough to assure that there wouldn't be any more surprise visits at the Weasley's house in the near future.

* * *

><p>That night was the first episode of Fred and George Weasley's new radio show. Everyone gathered together in the small sitting room on the third floor—all the children including Dudley and Ginny, Sue, Hestia, and Dedalus.<p>

Mr. Weasley had left only a short time ago, treading the fine line between, as he put it, "staying long enough to settle Ginny to Molly's specifications, and getting back home before Molly starts to fear for my safety." Dudley thought that sounded awful complicated. His father certainly never went through that much thought for his mother.

Dudley watched with interest as the children all let Ginny to the front of the crowd, to fiddle with the radio. They still had a minute or two, and the adults were talking quietly and seriously on the couch. Ginny was doing much better after some potions she had been given, and wasn't as weak and trembling anymore. She pulled her wand out and tapped the old fashioned radio several times, muttering to herself. Then she smiled as the dial spun to the right, the left, and then straight up again as she proudly announced, "Lemon drop."

The password again received many chuckles. Then, a voice sounded over the static that had previously been all that was audible—in fact, the static disappeared with the voice.

It was an unfamiliar voice to Dudley, but it was a cheerful and pleasant sounding one.

"Lee!" and "Jordan!" were heard by all the Hogwarts students around the room, and Dudley realized this was the friend of the Weasley twins' who was starting this program with them.

"Hello to all who have managed to find the correct channel and password!" Lee said clearly through the radio, "We will start a little late tonight, for those who are still struggling to get tuned for the first time. So, we'll be back momentarily!"

The static came back again, though softer, and the children all settled back to wait.

"What's with the lemon drop joke?" Dudley asked Ethan quietly. His friend chuckled a little.

"This is all hearsay of course, you need to understand, but Professor Dumbledore, our old Headmaster, had an infatuation with them. It was well known to all of the students, but only troublemakers really interacted with the Headmaster on a regular basis, so I sure was never offered one by him!" Ethan chuckled a little, but it seemed that the others had heard their conversation.

"But Harry met with him all the time!" Colin interrupted, "And he wasn't a troublemaker!"

Ginny Weasley laughed full out at that. "Colin! What in Merlin's name gave you that idea?" At all the confused looks she explained it for them. "Harry never pulled pranks or broke school rules for laughs, but he broke more school rules than I think even Fred and George ever managed. All in the name of saving people, the school, and the wizarding world in general, of course." She added.

"And he met with Dumbledore regularly even when he didn't do something wrong and life threatening. If it comes to that then I did after my first year, as well. For tea, very often."

That comment ended the conversation abruptly, and Dudley remembered what he'd been told about the Chamber of Secrets and Ginny Weasley as the room got very uncomfortable.

"Yeah, so that's the lemon drop joke." Ethan broke the awkward silence to say to Dudley. "Oh, and the bloke on the radio was Lee Jordan, a Gryffindor a year older than me who commentated for Quidditch matches all the time."

"He was brilliant!" One girl exclaimed, "He used to complain about Angelina Johnson not agreeing to go out with him, badmouth the Slytherins, get Fred and George confused on which was which on purpose, and try and publicize for Harry's broom!"

"Kathy," Dennis sighed as he looked over at the girl, "we discussed this. Harry had a _Firebolt_, remember?" He said that as if it made everything all right and sensible.

Dudley didn't know what a Firebolt was, but thought maybe it was a kind of broomstick, based on the conversation. A very good broomstick, based on the droopy, goofy faces that many of the boys, some girls, and Ginny were sporting now.

But then the radio burst into life again.

"Hello, and thank you for waiting! My esteemed colleagues and I have decided that this was plenty of time for those so inclined to join us to do so, so we welcome you all!"

His voice turned more serious as he continued, "Now, I assume that anyone listening to this broadcast will know about this already, but for those that don't I'll fill you in.

"The Ministry has fallen to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. And on the subject as well, I recently got word that the name of the Dark Lord has been tabooed, meaning that saying his name will immediately call his followers to you.

"No matter how brave you think you are by speaking it, we beg of you not to use the name! Those who do regularly are the ones that the Death Eaters are looking for—people who follow in the path of Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter.

"And on that note, we will begin our broadcast for the night! This show has recently been christened _Potterwatch_, in the name of our missing hero. And on that note, please let me introduce those helping me on this show. I will be here every time we manage to get to a safe location to broadcast, and these people will take turns assisting me as they are available.

"I am known on the show as River, and with me I have Royal, Romulus, Rodent, and Rabbit!"

"_Rodent_?" Came an indignant voice at the same time that an identical one called out, "_Rabbit_?"

"Oh, what do you want to be called, then?" Lee asked with exasperation.

There were some murmurs in the background for a moment before Lee burst out, "We don't have time for this! Come prepared next time!"

Everyone in the sitting room burst out laughing, knowing full well that this was the Weasley twins speaking with Lee. Ginny was smiling widely listening to her brothers, and Dudley had to admit he fully approved of the twins and Lee keeping everyone's spirits up in a time such as this.

"Now," Lee was saying, "I will invite Romulus to start his own portion of the show which is called 'Pals of Potter'. Normally it will occur later in the hour, but tonight he has news that we feel should come first. Then Rodent and Rabbit will tell us some current events with the wizarding world in general, and Royal will then tell us a little about the Ministry to end our time together. Who's excited?"

Dudley could tell no one in the room was excited, per say, but they seemed eager. He was as well. The show's outline seemed very well thought out.

"So, here's Romulus!" Lee said, and a new, older, voice took over for him.

"Thank you, River."

"It's Professor Lupin!" A few people burst out, and Dudley thought about the tired-looking man with the pretty wife earlier that day.

"My time on the show will be devoted to many things, some being correcting rumors and sharing facts about Harry Potter and his whereabouts, giving some information and messages that people will want him to hear if he is listening, and talking about the people around him, as well.

"What I am speaking about tonight is the fact that Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley all disappeared last night directly after the Ministry fell. Yes, it was partly for their safety, but it was really just an early execution of a long-standing plan. They are on a mission that was left to Harry by Dumbledore. Though none of them could tell us what they were doing, we all know it is very dangerous.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, all our thoughts are with you, and we wish you all the best in your search for answers and whatever ends you are seeking.

"I ask our listeners, now, if you should have interaction with any of the three or see them at all, please make sure to offer them any help that you can, from food to information to whatever is reasonable for you to be able to offer. We are all in this war together, and Harry would do the same for any of you."

Dudley looked around the room, and many people were nodding, some looking sad, others angry and frustrated.

Some of the girls looked teary-eyed, but not Ginny. She had a steely look in her eye, and determination. She also looked fiercely proud, as she listened to Remus talk about Harry.

Dudley could tell that she really cared about him and thought the best of him, despite him apparently breaking it off with her. He hadn't heard the full story yet, though.

Lee was back on the air, now. "Thank you very much, Romulus. We don't know where Harry is, but we want him to know that our thoughts are with him. If our listeners can get messages they have for Harry to us in a safe manner, we will convey them to the best of our ability in case he ever listens, and we will keep an update of information on him in the future broadcasts.

"Now! We have Rabbit and Rodent—_Don't argue! That's what you get for not deciding last night!_" Everyone in the room smirked as they heard Lee berating the twins, but Ginny frowned unhappily. Probably, Dudley realized, at the reminder of what the twins had been faced with the night before.

"They will be telling us a little about the world as of right now. Here is Rabbit!"

"Hello," one twin took over for Lee, and though everyone else looked confused, Ginny told them all with absolute certainty, "It's Fred."

Fred continued, "Luckily at this time I don't have any very recent deaths to report, but this time in the show will almost positively have them in the future. For now I'd like a moment of silence for the following people who will be sorely missed and who didn't get the proper respects from any of the publications earlier this summer.

"Alastor Moody was killed earlier this summer by Death Eaters while on a mission, and he will be missed as a fighter for our side and as a mentor and friend to many.

"Charity Burbage was the Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts until last spring. She has been missing since the end of last semester, and her body was found earlier this summer as well. She was killed by Death Eaters, though we suspect she was taken by the Big Guy himself.

"And there have been attacks on two muggle towns in the last three weeks by Dementors, and another two in the past month and a half by Death Eaters. We don't have names for the deceased, but that doesn't make them any less important. There were dozens.

"Please let us have a minute of silence for those departed, magical and muggle, as we send condolences to those they've left behind as well."

Dudley was stunned into silence anyway as he looked around the room in shock, barely seeing the down turned faces, most with either tears running down them or stony expressions.

He'd known about Moody, since it had happened _that _night, and because everyone had been so upset.

He'd known about George's ear.

He thought that he'd known how serious this war was.

But he didn't. That person had been a professor that these kids had known and respected. Those people in those towns didn't even know about magic, and yet they got killed for no reason. And those _Dementor_ attacks…

It made Dudley shiver with remembered terror.

And Fred Weasley had sounded the most sincere and depressed that Dudley had ever even imagined him being.

It brought the war home for him.

And even through George recounting the more recent news about Hogwarts, and everyone recognizing Kingsley Shacklebolt as Royal, and hearing about the state of the 'new' Ministry of Magic, and Lee ending on as positive a note as he could, Dudley sat in shock, contemplating.

He needed to talk with his mother, soon. Why should this only now be making sense to him? Harry had been involved for years now.

Dudley needed to know why his childhood with Harry had been the way it was.

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><p><strong><em>AN: Hey there!_**

**_Thank you so much for reading this. Hope that everyone was satisfied enough, and there's goodies to come soon as well!_**

**_Also, thank you to my reviewers. You all have no idea how inspiring reading all those comments are, and how lovely they make me feel. Please continue. I try my hardest to answer all of them, and I try to answer all questions as well._**

**_Ok, so next chapter will have some of this. I'd like all, but just look at this last chapter!_**

**Dudley and Petunia have a real talk. She shares some insights with us, and hopefully we won't hate her quite as much. What has she been doing in her room for hours every day?**

**We are going to have a visit for Ginny by the twins, and see some confrontation between them and Dudley. Because let's face it- how has Ginny lasted this long, avoiding facing him? She HAS to know who he is...**

**Maybe Dudley will hear about some more Hogwarts adventures, as I've neglected that this chapter. I think Ginny will be able to add more to third and fifth year, seeing as she's privy to more inside information.**

**And I'll try and add Quidditch, but it will be difficult to squeeze in... we'll see!**

**_So, stay tuned!_**

**_-Books_**


	5. Confrontations and Explanations

**_A/N: Hey all!_**

**_Sorry so much about the late update! It was partly how busy I was, and partly writers block. However, when I finished it, I added the last scene just for you guys, to say sorry. So, I hope it satisfies! It's pretty long, so hopefully that will make up for it._**

**_I'm not so busy now, so hopefully I can get the next chapter done sooner. I'm not thrilled with some of the conversations here, since I couldn't seem to get them right. But they're here, which is what I care about most!_**

**_Enjoy! And please review when you're done. :)_**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing in her sandbox...<strong>

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><p><strong><em>This is Dedicated to all my wonderful readers, and especially those who have reviewed! You are all wonderful, and it makes my day to see my inbox full of reviews. It makes me immediately want to write more and more and more!<em>**

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><p>Dudley inched the door open slowly, peeking into the room beyond.<p>

By the time the _Potterwatch_ episode had ended the night before, Dudley's parents had been asleep. And then this morning Dudley had known that he didn't want his father anywhere around them for this conversation. So when he'd come back from lunch and his overweight father had been passed out on the couch, Dudley had gone looking for his mum.

He peered into the bedroom where his mother holed herself up everyday. What was she doing in there?

"Mum?" He whispered. His mother jumped up from where she'd been sitting hunched over on the bed. She had something large and square on her lap that fell to the floor when she stood. The room was dim, lit by numerous windows, but they were all covered with thick blinds. Petunia must not have bothered opening the drapes that morning.

His mother blinked in the light that was coming in from the well-it hallway.

"Dudley?" She questioned, "Is something wrong, popkin?"

"No, mum." Dudley deliberated a moment, as his mother watched him with suspiciously red-looking eyes. He was going to ask to join her and talk, but he got the feeling that his mum could use some time out of her room.

"Mum, will you go on a walk with me?"

Petunia looked over at him with panicked, wary eyes. "Oh Dudley, I don't know popkin. Those people, and this _place_…" she trailed off, but Dudley could tell that unlike his father who was full to the brim with hatred for magic and wizards, his mother was just scared. She just hid her fear with anger and hatred. Dudley didn't know where it steamed from, but he was determined to find out.

"Mum, I've been out and about every single day now. The kids here are all really nice. I've met some nice adults and everyone's welcoming and friendly. They don't want us to be prisoners here, mum. Please. Please come for a walk with me? We can have tea in a sitting room, or something?"

He gave his mum his best pleading look, knowing that between that, the fact that he wanted to go, and his newfound manners, his mother wouldn't refuse.

"O…Okay, popkin. I'll come with you."

Dudley smiled and walked out of the room, holding the door for his mother. He waited while she picked up the object that she'd dropped, as she carefully smoothed the front of what looked like a large book, and then set it gently back on the bed. Then she walked out the door, giving Dudley a small smile.

"What a gentleman." She teased him gently. Dudley smiled, liking this gentler and not as smothering side to his mother. With a teasing grin he offered her a mocking bow and his outstretched arm, which she placed her hand on before he led her from the flat.

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><p>Dudley's second day at the Manor had been when he'd been introduced to a house elf. They were small and wrinkly creatures, and rather odd, but sweet and helpful when one got over the visual of the big, round eyes, wrinkled skin, and huge ears.<p>

There were two house elves at the Manor. They were a brother and sister, and Susan Bones's family had left them in the Manor to upkeep it, and to serve the people that the house was guarding for the time being. Their names were Mickey and Minnie, and Dudley approved of the reference to the muggle characters. They were both nice enough, but Dudley thought that Minnie hovered too much. So even though he'd been told that he could call either whenever he required them (as long as he didn't abuse the privilege, as the Bones house elves were to be respected), he purposefully called Mickey that afternoon for tea.

"Mum," he began hesitantly, "don't freak out on me, but I'm going to call for some tea now. There are workers in the Manor, kinda like servants, or something… he's called a house elf, so don't scream and... just be nice to him, okay?"

Petunia looked wary, but nodded.

"Mickey!" Dudley called, and a moment later the little elf _popped_ into the room, where he gave Dudley a short bow. He was outfitted in what looked like a light blue butler's uniform. Dudley had been informed that while house elves couldn't be given clothing, the Bones family had altered that rule with their elves to allow them to make their own uniforms out of the usual coverings, such as pillowcases and sheets. Minnie wore a little blue maid's uniform similar to Mickey's.

Dudley gave his mother a quick glance, but even as she gulped and looked like she was holding in a scream, she held herself together.

"What can Mickey get young master?" The small elf asked calmly, straightening up and looking at Dudley.

"Some tea and something to snack on, please, Mickey. Does Sue have anything in the kitchen?"

"Oh yes, master Dudley. Mistress Sue baked scones in the morning."

"Thank you, Mickey. Oh, and this is my mum, Petunia Dursley." Dudley introduced his mother. "Will you answer to her if she ever needs anything?"

"Of course, Master Dudley, Mistress Petunia."

Then the elf _popped_ away, leaving Dudley with his mother.

"Want to sit, mum?" He asked her, pointing to the light brown, leather couch sitting facing the fireplace. His mother nodded a little shakily, sitting down. Dudley sat next to her, angling to be able to look at her while he spoke. Before he could begin, however, Mickey _popped_ back again with a tray, leaving it on the coffee table and leaving again with a little bow.

"Mum? Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Dudley's mum looked extraordinarily distracted, but she made an effort to focus on her son. "Yes popkin, I'm perfectly fine. Well, as fine as anyone can be in a… situation… such as _this_." She looked around in obvious distaste at the lavish and comfortable sitting room they were in.

Dudley sighed. "Mum, why do you hate wizards? And magic?" He was absurdly pleased to see his mother's shocked look. "And I need a _real_ reason, mum. Not an excuse or petty thoughts. Please? I need to know why I basically helped repress my cousin—my flesh and blood—for so many years."

Dudley had been pretty proud of his speech. He'd practiced in front of a mirror the other day, and he'd worked to perfect the wording and his facial expressions. But with all his work, he'd been unable to picture his mother's reaction. He thought maybe she'd be offended—maybe she'd be shocked. It was possible she'd be very angry with him.

But after he finished speaking Dudley worked up to courage to raise his gaze from his lap and look into his mother's eyes. Her pale, blue eyes set in her thin, tight face. She always looked so unhappy, whenever Dudley had seen her recently. And now he was shocked to discover his mother close to tears. Tears! Her eyes were watering, and she was looking at him with the utmost hurt.

"Mum?" He whispered.

"Oh, Dudley," she whispered back, "I'm so ashamed."

"Of what? What are you ashamed of, mum?"

"Of myself, my past, your childhood… I've had a lot of time to think, the last few days. Really, the last year, or so… the last ten years." She gave a watery, self-depricating chuckle. "You know, had the situations been reversed, Lily would have welcomed you into her home, her life, and her heart with open arms and a wide smile."

Dudley gaped at his mum, as she smiled with a little bitter wistfulness. She was only half talking to him, he could tell.

"You mean, my aunt? That's her, right? Aunt Lily?"

"Oh, yes. Yes, that's her. Have I never mentioned your aunt, popkin?"

"No, I don't think so. Not besides when that giant came to get Harry for school, in that shack dad brought us to." The reminder of that time made Petunia wince. "Did you hate Aunt Lily, mum?"

"No, Dudley." His mother sighed, "I never _really_ hated my sister, and the fact that probably caused me to make myself forget her so thoroughly, was that she thought I did when she died. She never knew differently…"

"So, why did you act like you hated her, if you didn't?"

"The same reason I didn't want you to grow close to Harry, dear. I was jealous. Absolutely, insanely jealous of pretty, kind, sweet Lily, who got to live in a world of magic and fairy tales and everything I'd dreamed of as a child. With her new friends who knew about magic, and who could teach her about her new life like I'd taught her about everything she knew prior to meeting _that_ _boy_ when she was only seven. I was her big sister, but I was left behind." Dudley was amazed at his mother's confession, and at the way that the words seemed to pour out of her, like she couldn't stop the rush now that she'd started.

"I even wrote to the school and the headmaster, asking to be able to go with her, you know. And I got a perfectly polite, kind letter in return. But I didn't have magic. I felt left out, and from that moment on I always felt less important, less significant, less _special_ than Lily. And popkin, I admit I was terrified that the same thing would happen to you when my sister's child was left on our doorstep all those years ago."

Dudley let his mother take a sip of her tea as he thought. Jealously. Was that all it was? He voiced his thought.

"I admit that fear was a large motivator. Have I told you how my parents died, popkin?" Dudley shook his head silently. He didn't think he'd ever heard his maternal grandparents mentioned before. "They were killed during that war, right after Lily graduated. I was convinced that it was her fault, and I wouldn't listen to her pleading. She said it was a regular attack, and that they hadn't been singled out because of her. They were killed in a public place, and the explosion was said to have been a gas leak, or something… it didn't matter. I knew the truth.

"I didn't let her come to the funeral." Petunia confessed in a whisper, and Dudley snapped his head to look at his mother. Tears were silently running down her cheeks, and she looked completely ashamed. "Her and James showed up afterwards, and I think she sat there for hours, in the pouring rain. I didn't speak to her again, after their deaths, though she tried to contact me when she found out she was pregnant. She was ecstatic, so thrilled. Her letter said it was like a brightness in the war… and then I think about how I treated her child for all those years…"

The last was muttered so quietly that Dudley barely heard it, but he did.

"Why now, mum? I mean, I'm glad…. But why the change of heart? Now?"

There was silence for a moment before his mother spoke again. "After I pushed Lily away, and succeeded after she'd been refusing to go for years, I buried any feelings I had for the ma-magical," Dudley was proud of the way his mother managed to keep her composure, "world besides anger and hatred. Your father encouraged this. He'd been told the truth, as we were already engaged when Lily introduced James to the family. My parents didn't want there to be secrets between us. Bless them, they still wanted us to love each other like we did as children."

She paused to wipe a few tears away. "I was successful burying my feelings, dear. I really was. I thought I was doing right by you, and even by Harry, not wanting him to know about magic and being hurt. Magic could hurt so many ways, I'd learned… Lily and my parents died, I was hurt by jealousy and loneliness… but magic could also cause fear and anger, as your father showed, and that hurt in other ways, too.

"But last year, when the Headmaster said how we'd hurt _you_, my Dudley, my son, I was appalled. How could he accuse us of such an offense!

"And then I started to think. I wondered what my mother, who was kind and gentle and loved Lily and I equally, no matter what I believed as a teenager, I wondered what she could think of _me_ as a mother.

"And then I started to think of my actions, and how they impacted you. You were so… rude, Dudley. And don't get defensive!" Though Dudley wasn't about to, "because it's not your fault! It's your father's and mine for encouraging your behavior for all those years. But even before I started to think about how I raised Lily's child, I realized that I had failed you as a mother."

"You didn't fail me, mum." Dudley tried to reassure her. "After all, I'm here having this conversation now, aren't I?"

"Yes," she sighed, "but not through any doing of mine. I've been thinking these things for a while, but I didn't think I'd ever really talk to you about them. I thought it was too late for regrets."

"I don't think it's ever too late, mum. And from what I hear, Harry's gonna win this war. So there will be time to talk to him after all of this, too."

"I don't know, Dudley… I don't think he'll want to talk to me. Not after all these years, and after all I've done."

"I don't agree, mum. Harry's the guy who saved me from those Dementors, even after I'd been mocking him moments before, and even though I punched him. He won't refuse to talk to you, if you make the effort. He got us protection, didn't he? Even though dad resisted. Harry had every reason to leave us to fend for ourselves."

Petunia looked slightly relieved, and maybe a little more relaxed. "You know, that makes sense. You're right. Harry is a better person than I could ever be, and I didn't even realize it until this summer. Being ripped away from our lives probably really hit it home, for me. I hope… I just hope he makes it out at the end of all of this. Lily didn't, and she gave her life for him."

They drank their tea silently for a couple more moments, until Dudley had another question.

"Mum? What have you been doing in your room every day?"

"I- I was looking at an old album I have, from my childhood." She told him softly, with a small sniff and tears building in her eyes again. "The first day here I heard Hestia and Sue talking about Lily. They knew her, and hearing stories and hearing her compared to me… well, they were right. Even if it was harsh to hear how they couldn't imagine us as sisters. And it made me long to connect to my sister again, so I pulled out my old album. She was the most beautiful child…

"I'll show the pictures to you sometime, Dudley. She was your aunt, after all, and I think you would have loved her very much, had you gotten to know her."

Dudley didn't doubt it. He nodded and sipped his tea some more, but he was already making plans. He thought it would be good to get Hestia and his mother to talk, sometime. His mum could hear about her sister from after they grew apart, and maybe Hestia wouldn't hate his mum as much.

And Dudley would like to hear more, too.

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><p>The next morning Dudley woke feeling good about the day, and about himself. He'd confronted his mother and heard her reasoning behind his childhood. He thought he understood her better now, though he wanted to talk to her more at some point.<p>

In fact, Dudley felt like nothing could ruin his bad mood. As long as he avoided his dad, that was. He didn't want to hear anything about freaks this morning…

But he hadn't counted on what he encountered after leaving the dining room. He was on his way to the game room, to see if any other kids were there, when he heard yelling.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S AN _ALRIGHT_ BLOKE?"

Dudley was shocked. He didn't think Ginny Weasley's voice could get that loud, or that full of hatred. He'd hate to be whomever it was she was yelling at. He hurried forward towards the room, wanting to see what was going on. Upon reaching the open doorway he peered in and saw Ginny shouting at Colin and Ethan! That was unexpected—Dudley got the impression that she and Colin got along well, and Ethan and her were in the same house at their school—he'd assumed they'd get along as well.

"Gin-Gin," another voice broke in, and Dudley saw the twins in the room as well, "Maybe he's changed. After all, we've always trusted Ethan's opinion before."

"Hey!" Colin piped up, "What about _me_?"

"Sorry, short stuff," the other twin responded, "Harry Potter Fan Club."

"Enough said." His brother added. "Otherwise, maybe we'd trust your opinion too."

"Humph!" Colin huffed, "Ginny started it with me!"

"Yeah, and who ever said we trusted her opinion?" A twin retorted with a laugh. Ginny didn't look amused. She just crossed her arms over her chest and leveled the twins with a glare.

"I don't trust him. Not even an inch. You two don't know everything—"

But they cut her off.

"No? You don't think so? We're the ones who flew that car all the way to Surrey to rescue him from being locked in his room and starved the whole summer!"

And it was then that Dudley realized with horror what they were talking about. Maybe he'd been thick to not see it, but they were discussing _him_.

But Ginny was shaking her head. "Harry told me probably as much as he's told Ron and Hermione. And you know how much they've managed to pry from him over the years. He can't hide much from them… he doesn't hide much from them. I think I know what I'm talking about, Fred."

So the one closer to the door was Fred… good to know. Dudley wasn't in the proper position to see ears. He was starting to wonder if it would be better for his health, however, to get far away from this room.

But as Dudley decided to tiptoe away from the doorway (_he_ was no Gryffindor!) he failed to notice the obstacle under the window near him, which was a plant balanced on a stand. With a spectacular crash, Dudley, the metal stand, the plant, the ceramic pot, and a plentiful amount of dirt landed in a pile. And Dudley froze as he realized that his mistake would have been heard in that room—not matter how good or bad of hearing they had.

And sure enough, all the talking stopped.

"What was that?" Dudley heard Ginny ask.

"Dunno." Said a twin.

"I'll check." Said the other.

Then there were footsteps and Dudley looked up to see three very irritated redheads.

"Um… sorry?" He offered dumbly, knowing guiltily that he had made a huge mess on the floor. He clumsily tried to get up, shedding dirt all over as he did so.

"Here," one twin offered with a smirk, "Allow me." He pulled Dudley up with one hand while using his other to wave his wand, causing the dirt and plant to all fly back into the reformed pot, which he caught from midair and set back onto the upright stand.

"Thanks," Dudley said in relief, staring wide-eyed at the sight. He still wasn't used to magic being used so casually. "I really didn't mean to cause a mess. I was just on my way to see if anyone was hanging out in the game room today…" he decided it would be smarter to not lie, but to not make it obvious that he had been eavesdropping. Although he assumed that they would be able to tell anyway. Dudley always seemed to be able to fool his mother, but no one else.

The twin who had helped him up—Fred—just nodded his head and smirked again. "Don't worry about it, mate. It's simple enough, for us." Dudley didn't know if he meant to be condescending when he said that, but from the slightly hostile looks that the other two Weasleys were sending him, he felt that all three were put out with him.

"Dudley," George addressed him, startling the boy slightly, "have you officially met our sister, Ginny? Ginny, this is Dudley Dursley, Harry's cousin."

"I know very well who is he, thank you George." She said haughtily, causing the twins to snicker quietly. "Hello, Dudley." She said to him.

"'Lo. Nice to meet you." He figured it couldn't hurt to be polite, with how she was looking at him. (Like he was the prey and she was the predator.) Especially if she had dated Harry— though all the Weasleys seemed to love Harry, no matter what their relationships with him were.

However, Ginny didn't like Dudley's attempt at politeness.

"It's not very nice to meet you, you big bully!" Ginny shot back rather childishly but fiercely, causing Dudley to look at her with wide eyes. She was a tiny thing—only up to Dudley shoulder, maybe—but she looked frightening. Dudley was not afraid to admit that he was a little scared of her. Plus, she could do magic. He didn't doubt that she was a very talented witch.

Any girl would need to be a good fighter, to put up with six brothers. Muggle or magic, from Dudley's perspective.

"Um, I'm sorry… I don't really know what to say. Are you referring to my childhood with Harry?"

"Yes, I am! I'm referring to all the times you beat him up, all the times you blamed something on him and caused him to be punished, all the times you rubbed all your gifts in his face when he got nothing, the taunting, the bragging, the crap he had to put up with for sixteen years!" She was panting and out of breath when she finished her rant, and Dudley was looking guiltily down at the ground, knowing she was right to be yelling at him.

"Hang on, Gin. What was some of that?" Fred asked his sister, "What was the bit about gifts, and about being beat up?"

"The _Dursleys_," Dudley was unsure how Ginny managed to make his last name sound like a curse, "never gave Harry birthday or Christmas presents while he lived with them! Well, actually, he said once he got some socks, or a clothes hanger for his birthday." Both twins looked incredulous and very pissed off at that, and Dudley cowered back a little. "Ron said that his first Christmas at school, Harry was shocked to receive any presents on Christmas morning!"

The twins turned to glare at Dudley, who had started shaking. "That's not my fault!" He protested weakly. He was ashamed to hear his voice squeak a bit.

"Oh, okay, maybe not completely," Ginny admitted with a large amount of sarcasm in her voice, "but breaking something, or stealing food, and them blaming it on Harry was! And what about that game you played, _Harry Hunting_? Was that not your fault either? You and your little gang chasing him until you could catch him and rough him up? Hmm?"

Dudley gulped, but decided to man up. "No, that was all me."

The twins were furious-looking now. "What kind of git are you? I mean, we know Harry always complained about you, but we didn't think it was much worse than bad sibling rivalry, or something. He never talks much, and never complains at all."

"That would be my dad's doing." Dudley explained softly. "He brought Harry up thinking that complaining was worth a punishment, and Harry was taught that he wouldn't get help from adults. So he didn't think sharing his problems would matter."

All three Weasleys looked murderous at this. Which is why Dudley was glad their attention was distracted when George asked Ginny a question.

"Gin? When did you hear any of this?"

Dudley thought Ginny wouldn't answer, as her face got a closed off look when she registered the question. But she answered calmly enough.

"When we were dating he shared a bit with me. And when we first got together, Ron told me some in his talk with me."

"With you?" Dudley could have hit himself when his question gained him attention—and hostile looks—again. But instead he took a deep breath and elaborated. "I mean, wouldn't the older brother normally talk with the boyfriend?"

"He did." Ginny responded shortly. But then she calmed herself slightly and added a little nicer, "but he also talked to me, because he said Harry didn't have anyone else, and Harry's like his brother. He warned me not to hurt him."

One of the twins snorted at this, and Ginny turned to him abruptly. Dudley was sure glad _he_ wasn't on the receiving end of that glare!

"George!" She hissed, "He'd just lost Sirius the year before, Voldemort was getting stronger, people were expecting some kind of miracle, and Harry was drowning under it all. Ron knew that if I did something to hurt him, it might be too much on top of everything else. I'm just glad someone was looking out for him! He has no idea how to care about himself, only other people. He wanted to go on his godforsaken trip this year by himself! Luckily Ron and Hermione wouldn't let him get away with that!"

She looked smug when both twins showed a little shame when she finished.

"Yeah, we're glad Ron was looking out for him, as well." Fred admitted. "We think of Harry like a brother, too. We don't want him to be hurt."

"He won't," George said with certainty, "not with Ron and Hermione there on their mission." Dudley wasn't sure if George was confident, or just trying to convince them all—himself included.

"Do you… do you know what they're doing?" Dudley asked hesitantly. He wanted to know, but wasn't sure if it was worth Ginny's wrath.

"Not a clue. Why do you care?"

Apparently not worth it.

"Okay, let me set the record straight." Dudley demanded in the face of her irritation, watching with satisfaction as she looked at him with something other than hate and disgust. He couldn't tell what, but maybe interest? Intrigue?

Dudley looked all three of them in the eye, making sure not to show any weakness. "Yes, I was a prat to Harry growing up. Yes, he had every reason to hate me. But I was a kid myself, one who was taught to hate and fear magic, and hate and fear Harry. I didn't know any better, and I'm trying to change—I really am. I'm learning more about the magical world, trying to be open-minded, and I'm going to apologize to Harry, next chance I get. So I do care, because I don't want him to get hurt. I don't want to lose my cousin before I get the chance to know him."

Ginny was eyeing Dudley with suspicion—and maybe a little respect. Unless he was just hopeful for that last bit.

"We'll see. I'm reserving judgment."

Dudley didn't have a clue of what she meant by that, but Ginny merely spun away, and walked swiftly down the hallway. She disappeared around a corner, leaving Dudley standing awkwardly with the twins.

"Well?" He finally asked, annoyed with their silence and staring.

They exchanged glances. "We're waiting too. Like Ginny, we need to see it to believe it. But Harry said something about you being better this summer. Ginny might not have heard—she and Harry were avoiding each other while he stayed with us—but we did. We'll give you a chance, Dudley."

"But Merlin help you," Fred added after his twin, "If you mess up. We don't take lightly to people mistreating our family."

"And Harry is family." George finished.

Then the twins were walking away too, leaving Dudley behind, wondering if he'd just won that round or not.

That was the thing about Weasleys: he never knew just where he stood with them.

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><p>The twins were gone by the next morning, and Dudley was glad for it. It was a bit like walking on eggshells whenever they were around. He never knew what would set them off, what pranks they'd played recently to watch out for, or how they would react to any given thing.<p>

Particularly with Ginny. They seemed very protective of her, especially after their family's attack.

Dudley entered the game room, and saw all the kids there, along with Ginny. She didn't look thrilled to see him, but she didn't say anything, either. Dudley knew she was 'reserving judgment'. He made a note to be on his best behavior.

He saw both Colin and Ethan avoiding his eyes, and realized belatedly that both had most likely witnessed the confrontation in the hall the day before.

Oh well. There was nothing he could do about it. Maybe they'd hate him now, but at least Ethan knew a bit about the cousins' childhood. And Dudley had never hidden anything from Colin. Dudley met both their eyes and gave them small smiles. When he received grins back, he decided not to mention anything.

If they didn't bring it up, he didn't want to open that can of worms.

"Hey, Dudley!" Ethan waved him over to their group. "We were just listening to the radio. The twins said the next _Potterwatch_ wouldn't be for at least a week, though." Dudley nodded as he sat in an empty armchair. He saw the small radio on a table next to Ethan, but then Colin reached over and switched it off.

"You know how we've been telling Dudley about Harry's years at school?" He asked the room in general, and got lots of murmurs of agreement, "I realized I didn't know much about his third—my second. Does anyone else?" There were lots of heads being shaken, but Dudley noticed that Ginny didn't move in the affirmative or negative.

"Do you, Ginny?" Ethan had clearly noticed the same thing.

She swallowed. "Actually, I do. You all want to hear it? Keep in mind that I don't know everything. I wasn't privy to all that information back then, and I only learned some of it later on. And I won't share private information, or things I don't think they'll want getting out."

Dudley knew the 'they' she referred to was Harry, Ron and Hermione. Everyone nodded and shouted out their agreement.

"Yes!" Colin vocalized for everyone in the end, "We want to hear!"

"Okay!" She laughed before sobering to talk. "Who remembers what happened that summer? It was a huge deal… in the papers and everything."

"Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban!" a girl shouted out. Black… Sirius Black… where had Dudley heard that name before? It was in relation to Harry, he was sure…

"Yes, Sirius Back escaped from Azkaban—the wizarding prison," she added for Dudley, who nodded his thanks (though he remembered his mother saying that a few years ago—the first time he could remember her volunteering information about the magical world!)

"That event is what Harry's adventure for that year was centered around. See, Sirius wasn't only imprisoned for murder, but because he had apparently been the one to betray Lily and James Potter to Tom. That's what I call You-Know-Who." She explained for all the confused looks. (Dudley was glad to know it wasn't only him this time.) "That was his name when he was born. Tom Riddle. He's actually half muggle. He fashioned his name so that he wouldn't be known by his muggle father's name." That caused a lot of shocked looks. Dudley understood—wasn't this guy infamous for only liking pureblood wizards?

"That year in school there were a lot precautions and such, because there was an escape from a prison that should be impossible to get in or out of. I bet people here remember some of the little things that happened that year."

"Was that the year that Hermione's cat kept trying to eat Ron's rat?"

"I remember that!" Sally Anne exclaimed, "It wasn't only Gryffindors that time that were talking about it—the entire school knew about that!"

There were agreeing sounds at that. Ginny grinned.

"Yeah, that was one thing. Another was how stressed Hermione was. She was blowing up at people, and constantly working."

"I remember." Ethan said. "She got pissed at the twins or anyone else who made any noise at all in the Common Room."

"She was always in the Library." Justin added, "And she looked ill constantly as the year went on."

"Yep," Ginny said, "She took all the electives that the school offered that year. She had beyond a full schedule. Like, three classes at the same time, full."

There were many confused looks among the listeners, Dudley included. Could magical people really be in more than one place at once?

"Wasn't there something about Hagrid's pet Hippogriff?" Someone asked, successfully changing the topic and making people forget about Hermione's odd schedule.

"And Malfoy?" Colin added.

"Yeah, there was. A Hippogriff," Ginny explained for Dudley, "is an animal that is like a cross between a horse and an eagle. It can fly. Malfoy is a boy at our school—a Slytherin who hates anyone not pureblood and who doesn't want to bow at Tom's feet.

"I think you've met Hagrid, actually." She said. "He's the half giant gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures Professor at school. He delivered Harry's letter."

"Oh yeah! Yeah, I did." Dudley said. He didn't know how he could forget. Now that magic didn't scare him as much and because that dratted tail was gone, he could actually look back on that time with some humor.

"Well, Malfoy didn't listen to the instructions in class, and he insulted Buckbeak—the Hippogriff. Hippogriffs are proud creatures and don't take that lightly. Malfoy got hurt a little, but not very badly. Our nurse had him healed in an instant. But he made a big deal out of it, and his dad had a lot of clout in the Ministry. He arranged to have Buckbeak executed. The 'hearing' they had wasn't worth anything. Who else has anything to add?" Ginny ended after everyone was sufficiently sad after hearing about Buckbeak.

"There was that time in the middle of the night that Ron woke up screaming because Sirius Black was next to his bed!" Colin offered.

"Oh yeah! And the time that the whole school slept in the Great Hall because Black tried to get into your Tower!" Sally Anne remembered.

"Yes and yes." Ginny said. "Those both happened too. So since we all know the majority of what happened during the year, I'll skip to the end.

"Harry, Ron and Hermione snuck down to Hagrid's hut the night of the execution, because let's face it, anyone who knows them knows they won't let a friend face that alone." Everyone's faces showed agreement. "But when they were on their way back to the castle, they got pulled aside by a large dog, who ended up being Sirius Black. He was an illegal animagus."

This announcement caused a whole lot of uproar. Somehow, though, Dudley was able to make himself heard.

"WHAT'S AN ANIMAGUS?" He was finally able to bellow. The room instantly quieted.

"It's a person who has learned the ability to be able to turn into an animal at will." Ethan finally answered after the shock of the instant silence wore off.

"Thank you."

Their little interruption made it possible to Ginny to continue. "Yes, well, it turns out that he became one during his time at school, actually, younger than should have been possible. See, he was friends with Professor Lupin. Um… does everyone know about him?"

"You mean that he's a werewolf?" Colin asked casually, which caused an uproar again, this time from the kids too young to have heard about that. And Dudley was shocked too, of course.

"Quiet!" Ginny finally shouted. "Thank you." She added when it was silent again. "Yes, Remus is a werewolf. But he's only dangerous when he changes, the night of the full moon. And he's the nicest man—he didn't ask to be bitten when he was a child. So you see, Sirius Black had become an animagus to share the full moons with him. It made it easier for Remus because a werewolf isn't dangerous to animals, and it kept him from hurting himself as much."

By now everyone was fully immersed in Ginny's tale, and she didn't have to shut people up anymore.

"So this dog got to Ron and the others, and told them a story. Remus came in the middle and helped. See, Sirius wasn't the only one to become an animagus in school. It turns out Harry's dad was one too, and another friend. One you might recognize the name of: Peter Pettigrew." There were a few looks of vague comprehension, but not many. The name didn't mean anything to Dudley.

"Peter was supposedly killed by Sirius the night that Sirius killed the muggles on that street in London. The night after the one when the Potter's were killed. People thought that Peter had tracked Sirius down in his grief for revenge.

"But Peter's animagus form was a rat. In particular, Ron's pet rat that Hermione's cat had been trying to catch." There were several gasps at this, but luckily no one tried to interrupt Ginny again. She didn't look like she would take that well.

"The real story was that Sirius never betrayed the Potters. It was Peter that had, and Peter who blew up the muggle street. He framed Sirius after Sirius tracked _Peter_ down for revenge. Sirius didn't get a trial before he got sent to prison for life. He escaped when he saw a picture of my family in the paper. He recognized Peter, and realized that Peter was at Hogwarts, with Harry. He wanted to protect his godson.

"Unfortunately," Ginny continued with a sigh, "That night was a full moon, but everyone had forgotten in the chaos. Because of that, things got out of control. Sirius was captured and Peter escaped."

"But, Ginny?" Sally Anne questioned, "We didn't hear about Sirius Black being captured."

"Yes, I'm getting there." The redhead replied. "See, no one would believe Sirius and some school kids without proof. And Ron was unconscious, so it was just Hermione and Harry. So Dumbledore told them what to do. Who knows what a time turner is?"

Ethan answered. "It's a device like a little hourglass. The Ministry controls them. They allow the person holding them to go back in time by hour increments. It's dangerous, though, and they need to be careful not to be seen by anyone."

"Wait a second…" Justin said slowly, "is that how Hermione was getting to all her classes?"

Ginny beamed. "Yep, exactly. McGonagall petitioned for her to be allowed to. Hermione didn't again after that year, as it had been too much work. But she had one for her third year.

"Dumbledore told her and Harry to go back three hours. They somehow managed to save Buckbeak's life, and then fly Buckbeak to the room where Sirius was being held, and save him too. The Ministry was about to give him the Dementor's Kiss."

There were shudders then, and Dudley joined in. He remembered the affects of the Dementors. He remembered what Harry said the Kiss did—it took away your soul.

"So, Black escaped on a Hippogriff?" Justin asked eagerly.

"Yes, he did." Ginny smiled. "And Harry kept in touch with him. Sirius was completely innocent. He had nothing to do with the mass breakout during my fourth year. My family and I stayed at his house for safety reasons before my fourth as well, and I got to know him. He was really kind and funny. And he really cared about Harry, as well."

"What do you mean… _was_?" Asked Colin haltingly, like he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

But Dudley had remembered something Ginny had said the day before. About how _Sirius had _died_ the year before._

Harry had lost his godfather when he came back from his fifth year. Dudley remembered now.

Oh god. How much did that poor guy have to go through? His parents, that Cedric guy, his godfather, his Headmaster…

"He died, Harry's fifth year." Ginny murmured numbly, confirming Dudley's thoughts. "And that's a story for another day."

Dudley was sure that it was.

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><p><strong><em>AN: Wow, that was a long one! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed._**

**_Sorry about the slightly depressing end note: It just seemed like the place to stop for now._**

**_Next chapter will include some of the following!_**

**October through November- a jump in time**

**Some visitors on their way into hiding themselves**

**A Potterwatch episode: the trio in the Ministry?**

**An Quidditch! (I really mean it this time!)**

**_So, Like I've said before, please review. It really makes my day, and helps inspire me for future chapters!_**

**_Oh, and send any ideas of things you'd like added. I really will try to put anything in that will fit the timeline I have, and that will fit mostly into cannon. I'll try my hardest- promise!_**

**_Thanks again!_**

**_-Books_**


	6. Unexpected but Welcomed Visitors

_**A/N: Hello my dears!**_

_**I am so, so sorry about the delay. I could give excuses, and they're all true. Most about my private life and school. But I won't lower myself to acting how I would if I were to forget an essay for a class. Instead, I'll just admit that I let it go so long and let my other things distract me because this chapter just didn't want to be written. Major writer's block here.**_

_**So I apologize, deeply. I hope no one is too upset. This is a very long chapter, which I hope will make up for that. Microsoft word tells me it's 6,555 words! However, I didn't cover even a fraction of what I wanted to... sorry. *sheepish expression* So whatever didn't get covered that I promised last time will be in the next chapter.**_

_**So, now that I've bored you all with a VERY long author's note, I'll allow you (and beg you!) to read and enjoy this chapter. I'm hoping that it was a surprise to everyone, and that no one guessed it. And I stayed true to the storyline in the book, so I'm very proud!**_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, the other characters, the original plot, the setting, or anything else about this magical, magical world that you may recognize. I do, however, own multiple copies of all of the seven books.<strong>

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><p><strong>Dudley Dursley and the Quest for Truth: Chapter Six<strong>

**Unexpected but Welcome Visitors**

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><p>The days raced past. Those days turned into weeks, which before Dudley knew it, had turned into months. The kids were all getting along really well, and Dudley felt very accepted by everyone in the Manor. Even his mother was starting to venture out and interact more with the other occupants of the house. Her and Dudley's talk seemed to have done her some good, and she was slowly starting to lose her cold and bitter exterior. It wasn't an over night process, but it was a slow and steady improvement. She and Sue had even started swapping recipes and cooking together some mornings.<p>

In fact, the only problem left _in _the Manor was Vernon Dursley. Dudley's mum refused to speak badly about her husband, but even she was spending less time with him. He never left their flat.

Dudley had just taken to avoiding his father at all costs. He knew he'd have to confront him at some point, though. Dudley wasn't exactly turning into the man his father wanted him to be.

Something Dudley was relieved and proud about daily.

But while the Manor was still cheerful and happy itself, the outside world was becoming darker and bleaker with every passing day. While it was sometimes easy to forget that, enclosed in their own private, safe, bubble, it something always came to remind them.

They didn't get many visitors after Ginny Weasley was taken back home, as they didn't want enemies to be able to follow the Weasleys, or Remus, or anyone else to the safe house.

Hestia and Dedalus only left if it was entirely necessary. They both were worried about being found or followed, or indirectly and accidentally allowing anything to happen to the kids under their watch. They also needed to stay safe for the children's sake.

Dudley had 'overheard' (okay, he was eavesdropping) them talking about Hestia's more… impulsive tendencies. She'd agreed to be more careful after hearing Dedalus's worries. Dudley was glad. He was becoming rather fond of the sometime abrasive and ornery woman with the soft heart and caring nature. He didn't want anything to happen to her, especially if it was avoidable.

Sue had started sending Mickey and Minnie out once a week to do the shopping, even though she always loved browsing the shops herself. She said it was safer to send them with a list then to venture out herself.

But the kids' days progressed the same. Dudley joined them for lessons in the mornings, where he would learn Wizarding history, read on his own, or keep up with his muggle studies with the course materials he'd brought along. And before lunch everyday he watched their magical practice with amazement, awe, and steadily growing envy.

Though he didn't envy them the danger of their world and their gifts. One wrong movement with their wand, or one wrong ingredient added to their potion, and they could really hurt someone!

At least with mathematics and literature classes at his school, Dudley never had to worry about anything like that.

And in the afternoons they normally had free time. They'd listen to the radio, hoping for more _Potterwatch_, play games (Dudley loved learning the magical ones, and as they were muggle borns and half bloods for the most part, they played some muggle ones too), and just hung out telling stories. Dudley had gotten to look at some photo albums of the past few years that Colin had with him.

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><p>It was during the last couple days of September that something very unexpected happened. Ginny had been home for weeks at this point, and then Colin got word (though he wouldn't say how, and only Justin seemed to understand. Strange that—they weren't normally that close…) that she had made it safely to school.<p>

Though from what Dudley had managed to glean, the school itself wasn't that safe anymore. (Though was it ever really? With dragons and evil wizards and basilisks and werewolves running around attacking innocent students?)

But on this day something happened that hadn't for a few weeks: there was a knock on the front door. They hadn't had visitors in ages. Dedalus and Hestia were both in residence at the house, since nothing pressing had dragged them away. And besides, they didn't need to knock.

Everyone had been gathered in a sitting room playing chess and listening to the radio (there had been several more episodes of _Potterwatch_, and though it was sporadic with it's broadcasts, the household seemed certain that there'd be another later that week). Since it was a weekend, they didn't have to study in the morning.

The entire room froze and became completely silent. Then Hestia stood up.

"Come, Dedalus. We'll see who it is. I want all of you to stay in this room and lock the door. Understood?"

She said it very sternly, but the kids all understood why. These were dangerous times. Besides, this room could hear any noise from the front entryway perfectly clearly because of a charm (for times such as this). Sue would be able to hear the conversation, and know if she had to get the children out quickly. Luckily, everyone but Petunia and Vernon had decided to be downstairs that morning. There would be no wayward students to round up, and there were precautions for if something was to go wrong. Petunia and Vernon's flat would be on lockdown until a good wizard went to get them out.

Dudley felt somewhat better knowing that.

The whole household had been prepped with what to do in case of numerous kinds of emergencies, and they practiced drills many times a week. Of course, they still hoped and prayed never to have to use any of their strategies.

Sue nodded to Hestia to show that she understood.

Hestia and Dedalus left the room, closing the door behind them. Sue and Ethan shot a bunch of colored lights at the door, the knob, and the keyhole in particular. Dudley assumed those were the locking and monitoring spells, and some wards.

They heard Dedalus's voice, and though he was speaking to the front door, he was as clear as if he was still in the room with them all. It felt like everyone was holding his or her breath. Dudley knew for sure that he was.

"Who is it?" Dedalus asked sharply.

"I am Ted Tonks, traveling with Dean Thomas."

_That_ announcement caused gasps all around. Dudley recognized the second name slightly, and thought that maybe Dean was a Hogwarts student. And Remus Lupin's wife had been called Tonks as well, and they were told it was her maiden name. So using his newfound reasoning skills (Dudley had been thrilled to discover he wasn't as stupid as he'd always thought and been told) Dudley assumed Ted was a relative of hers.

Although everyone was now waiting anxiously, eager to know if these were really friends or if they were disguised foes, no one spoke. The room got tenser, until Dudley imagined that he could actually feel the agitation seeping from everyone.

"Ted?" Hestia question with amazement in her voice. Then Dudley could almost picture her closing up, standing up straighter, blocking her emotions off.

It was obvious with her next words, which were spoken roughly and with a touch of command.

"What was it you told me when you became interested in Andromeda?"

The heard a tired sounding chuckle.

"That she was the least scary Black sister: Narcissa was cold and intimidating and Bellatrix was insane, but Andy was amazing. I assured you that she would give me the time of day, as soon as I got the Black out of her."

Hestia laughed a little, and though she sounded as tired as Ted, it was a noise of relief as well.  
>"It's him, Ded." She told Dedalus. "Neither of us ever told anyone about that conversation." Dudley knew that Dedalus and Hestia trusted each other absolutely, even if they would check after being away that one wasn't an imposter. It was necessary for them to help run the house smoothly and keep everyone safe.<p>

So if Hestia said it was Ted Tonks standing outside, Dedalus would believe her.

"What about the boy, Ted?" Dedalus asked, "How do you know it's him?"

"I just ran into him—we're both on the run, and we came across Kingsley by accident. He was in the middle of some emergency, but he sent us here, after he ascertained it was really I. He didn't check Dean, and I didn't think to, but I didn't know him before this anyway."

Dudley didn't see why a Death Eater would be impersonating a lost boy (most likely a muggle born) who was probably not living very well on the run. But he supposed it was procedure to check, and Dedalus and Hestia were only trying to keep them all safe.

"Please, Mr. Diggle," Dudley and the rest heard a deep voice, but one still obviously belonging to a teen just around their age. Some of the kids gasped and smiled and looked relieved. Dudley was glad that was one more kid who wasn't dead somewhere. Dean was obviously a friend to some of these people.

The voice continued talking to Dedalus, "Kingsley said this was a safe house, with other kids here. Are there any from Hogwarts? Someone that might know me? They could ask the security question. Ask if there's either a Gryffindor, or someone from the DA."

Dudley didn't know what the 'DA' was, and though a few kids looked like they knew, it didn't seem like common knowledge. Colin certainly did, and Ethan looked like the letters were kind of familiar to him.

Dudley did know what Gryffindor was, so he knew they'd be able to get someone to question Dean.

There were a serious of knocks and clicks by the door, and then Hestia stuck her head in. She must have undone the enchantments.

"Gryffindor?" She asked simply, knowing they were all listening before. "DA?"

Colin stood up. "I'm both, and I know a few things I can ask. I know him, probably the best of everyone here?" He asked it as a question, looking around. Everyone was nodding in agreement.

"He does." Ethan confirmed. "There's no other Gryffindors in Dean's year here, and he didn't know a lot of kids that well from the other houses. Although he knows me, I never really _talked_ to him."

Hestia nodded as she ushered Colin out of the room, leaving Sue to lock the door again behind them.

"Dean?" They all heard Colin's voice question.

"Colin?" Dean replied swiftly. "Thank Merlin you're alright! No one knew where you and Dennis had ended up!"

"Yeah, we're safe here. I need to ask you something, Dean."

"Shoot."

"What did you say after that Quidditch match last year?"

There was a brief silence, but Dudley got the impression it wasn't because Dean didn't know the answer. It just felt like he was gathering himself.

Dudley looked around the room, and was relieved to see that no one else understood the question either. Dudley couldn't make heads or tails of it—it _was_ extremely vague, he thought defensively. Although, one muggle born girl looked like she might understand more than the rest of them. He thought her name might be Kathy, and she was probably around three years younger than him. She had been in Gryffindor, he remembered. She had a cheesy, kinda sappy smile on her face.

Just then, Dean (or who they assumed was Dean) answered the security question.

"I said, 'she's always loved him'."

There were some confused looks from most people around Dudley. However, some other Gryffindors looked like they understood a little more. Ethan looked like he was thinking hard.

"That's right!" He whispered to Dudley as Colin assured the adults,

"That's him for sure!"

"What's right?" Dudley questioned.

"Dean was going out with Ginny Weasley at the beginning of last year." If possible, Ethan's voice became even quieter, until he was breathing the words. He didn't seem to want to share his epiphany with those who hadn't figured it out themselves. "But not too long after they broke up, Harry and Ginny kissed in full view of the common room after Ginny won us the Quidditch cup. Harry had been in detention, but was Captain last year, so she kind of won it for him. Dean was a little shaken up, if I remember correctly."

Dudley nodded to Ethan, satisfied with the tale. That was kind of sad for Dean, but Dudley remembered Ginny's face when she spoke about Harry. She really cared about him. But what Dean had said… could his cousin really love a girl, at his age? And could she love him back? She was only sixteen!

"Thank you, Colin." Hestia's voice brought Dudley back to the present. She was in the room now, having unlocked the door. She was letting the two boys in before her. Standing behind her was Dedalus and an unfamiliar man, and coming in after Colin was a tall, black teenager with a tired grin on his face.

"Hey there, Mates." He said cheerfully. And then he fell down into a faint.

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><p>A few hours later, after everyone had calmed down from Dean's collapse, things were more understandable.<p>

It seemed that Dean had an injury (nothing serious, just a cut on his leg. But he'd lost a lot of blood) that he hadn't told Ted about. Ted, a very nice, kind, soft spoken muggle-born, had abandoned his usual personality and had become absolutely furious that his friend hadn't told him about the injury so they could treat it.

He'd just muttered 'Gryffindor' under his breath. To Dudley's confusion, he'd made the name of the Hogwart's House sound like a curse. Dudley had heard only good things about it before. But he supposed that being too brave and brash could be a bad thing…

Harry was like that, a lot. He could easily imagine people saying Gryffindor in a tone like that about Harry.

Dean and Ted weren't sure where they were headed, but within an hour it had been decided that they weren't going to stay in the safe house with everyone else.

"Why not?" Hestia sounded heartbroken. She'd told the children that she and Ted had been friends in Hufflepuff when they'd been in school.

"I told you, Tia," Ted sighed sadly, "I can't stay in one spot when so many people are in danger. I have no idea how Dora or Andy are. I can do more moving around and being in contact with people. Here, no matter how amazing this house is, I'd feel locked up. You aren't leaving the house except in dire circumstances, Tia!" He exclaimed. She'd sighed in response.

"It's okay Ted, I understand. I suppose you wouldn't be the same friend I've known for so long if you weren't like that. I always did say you could have belonged in Gryffindor."

"Ah, yes, but then Andy really wouldn't have given me the time of day. A Puff was bad enough. There's no way she would have stayed in the same room with me long enough to get a hint of my charming personality if I were a Lion."

At that, and the self-mocking way he'd said it, Dudley, who was sitting forgotten with some kids in the sitting room, snorted. Hestia and Ted looked over with surprise on the former's face, and amusement on the latter's.

"Is Dean staying?" Colin asked eagerly, now that the adults were focused on them anyway. He'd been kicked out of the room while Sue had been healing Dean. Oddly enough, the only person she'd allowed in the room had been Petunia, to help with wrapping the cut the muggle way, and getting Dean cleaned up.

Sue in the sickroom made many of the Hogwart's students (mostly from Gryffindor, so the reckless ones, Dudley assumed) groan something like _Pom-frey._ He had learned from Ethan that the matron in charge of healing at Hogwarts was often compared to either a dragon or a saber toothed tiger (depending on the perspective of the student) when she had someone injured or sick in her care.

According to Colin, most of the students who she was keeping against their wishes actually came up with intricate escape plans once they thought a reasonable time had passed in 'captivity'.

Dudley assumed, once again, that those were Gryffindors as well.

Ted looked at Hestia after Colin's question. She looked back at him.

"Can I tell them?" Ted questioned, reminding Dudley of someone asking a child's parent's permission for something. He supposed Hestia was like a protective mother or aunt to the children in the manor. They all needed that kind of influence at this point in their lives, and especially while things were so dark and dangerous.

"Yes," Hestia decided after thinking a moment. "They'll know soon anyway, and I'd rather they heard your reasons rather than getting a jumbled idea from Dean."

"Don't tell me," Ethan sighed, "Dean's leaving with you. Even though it's dangerous."

Dudley looked at the adults in disbelief. They couldn't allow that, could they? It was suicide for Dean!

Ted sighed. There was a lot of that going around lately, Dudley realized. Sighing, that is.

"That's why I wanted you to all hear my reasons. See, Dean and I have become close over the past week or so. And I promised him something. How many of you know anything about Dean's family?"

There was no response. "Not much then." Ted joked, to varied amounts of half-hearted chuckles. "Dean's mother and step-father are muggles, along with his two sisters and brother. All his siblings are probably muggles, though they're all under eleven, so it's unsure. Actually, all are under eight-years-old.

"Dean ran away, in order to protect them. He thinks his mother knew how dangerous it was and left with her husband and other children. But he doesn't know where they are and he's worried. I promised to help him find them, and I intend to stick to my word.

"Besides, Dean is one of the most Gryffindor people I've ever met. I think part of it comes from sharing a dorm with Harry Potter for six years. He refuses to sit around, locked safely in a house while there's so much wrong going on everywhere else."

There were murmurs of agreement with that statement, people nodding along. Along with looks of sadness in relation to Dean's family and his imminent departure.

Almost everyone in the house had a similar tale. Some even more devastating, though all were heartbreaking to hear about.

"How long will Dean be staying?" Dennis asked quietly, with sad eyes. He would miss Dean, Dudley could tell.

"We'll be here two days." Ted answered. "Enough time for him to visit with you, but no longer than that. I don't want to be here too long. If things change too much with the war situation that I don't hear about, it won't be safe where I'm planning on us going next."

Dennis nodded. He and Colin exchanged glances that had Dudley worried for a moment, until he saw them look to Ethan as well. He assumed that Ethan wouldn't be involved with anything dangerous to Dudley's health, as the Creevey brothers might.

Just a few days before, everyone in the manor suddenly had bright blue hair. And quite mysteriously, the brothers were the only ones who didn't have a sudden dye change overnight.

After nodding to the Creevey brothers, Ethan nudged Dudley to the door.

"We'll see you later Hestia, Ted. Alright?" He asked, but everyone could tell the adults wouldn't care if the kids left. They could probably talk with more openness that way.

"Sure." Hestia said, but before they could leave, Sue stuck her head in the doorway.

"Sue!" Colin exclaimed, "How's Dean?"

She laughed lightly, alleviating any remaining fears. "He's fine now. All fixed up, though he's still a little weak. But I wouldn't dream of keeping his friends from him, since he'll be leaving soon. He's in the green room, on the far end of the west wing on the second floor. It's a large room so that whoever wants to join him can. Just don't overexcite him!" She turned stern at the end, causing all the kids to immediately agree to go easy on Dean. The Hogwarts students seemed to be especially earnest.

"Well," Sue sniffed in a way that reminded Dudley of his mother and made him wonder how much time they were spending together, "At least Poppy has trained you all well."

She left as the room exploded in laughter, Ted and Hestia joining in. Noticing Dudley's lost look, Ethan explained through chuckles.

"Poppy Pomfrey is the mediwitch who keeps the students of Hogwarts in relatively good condition. It's an ongoing struggle, though she does her best. We all learned early on not to cross her."

Dudley joined in the laughter then, as everyone traipsed upstairs to the second floor.

* * *

><p>Every student chose to visit Dean, even though some didn't know him by more than his name. It was a novelty to have company, and someone that was so close to so many of the important kids at school…<p>

Well Dudley was excited, too. Dean probably knew Harry better than anyone Dudley had talked to up to this point, besides the Weasleys, of course.

"Hey Dean! How are you feeling?" Colin led the procession into the bedroom. It was a very large room, with a large double bed, bookshelves, and numerous couches and chairs most likely added to the room purely for this purpose with the kids. And as Sue had called it earlier, the green room was almost entirely composed of different shades of green.

"Hey all. I'm feeling much better. Take a seat, everyone."

Everyone sat; some people crowded two people to a seat, and some people on the floor. Ethan and Colin each took a seat on the end of Dean's bed.

Ethan went around the room, introducing the people that Dean didn't know. Finally, he reached Dudley.

"And this is Harry's cousin, Dudley Dursley. His parents are here too. His mom was helping Sue earlier."

"Ah, of course. Nice to meet you, Dudley. I have to say, you're different than Harry made you sound."

Dudley blushed deeply while reaching out to shake Dean's outstretched hand. "Ah, yes. Well, I was a prat to him our whole childhoods, so it's understandable that he wouldn't think to fondly of me. And, well, I assume he and the Weasleys said how much I… weighed." Dudley said delicately. "I've been working out."

It was true: between regular workouts in the gym, only eating at designated mealtimes, and Sue's ability to make healthy and yet filling meals, Dudley was roughly half the size he'd been when he had arrived home from school in the spring. Fat and turned to muscle and he'd shot up a little in height. He was still overweight, but it wasn't that much anymore. He was still _big_ though, but more broad.

"Well, pleased to meet the 'New Dudley', then." Dean grinned at him. Dean was looking remarkably well for a bloke who had passed out from fatigue and blood loss just hours before, but he still leaned back on his pillows looking very relieved to have the support.

"Well, what are we going to talk about?" Dean asked with humor. "Anyone going to entertain me while I'm laid up and feeling so poorly?" His bright eyes showed how he was joking with them, but everyone else chuckled at what he said.

"Actually," Ethan explained, pulling his long legs up onto the bed to sit cross legged, "we've been telling Dudley about Harry's years at Hogwarts as he didn't know any of the stories before, and they make good adventures to share aloud. The Creeveys and I were planning to get him to you for help."

"Neat!" Dean agreed. "I was there for all of them, though I admit I was never _that_ close to Harry and Ron, and I was never privy to all their secrets. Or involved in the adventures themselves, besides association. And I won't tell any secrets that were unavoidable at sharing in the dorms. Harry couldn't help showing or telling some things, and in a boarding school a bloke has to have a private place, you know? The dorm was a safe place for all of us."

Everyone was nodding in agreement. "We would never ask you to betray a secret of Harry's," Sally Anne promised.

"How many years have you told him about?" Dean questioned.

"Um, the first and second a while ago." Ethan told him, "And then Ginny Weasley was here for a week during the summer." After Ethan's whispered explanation earlier, Dudley watched Dean closely at the mention of Ginny. Other than a sudden straightening of his shoulders in interest, Dean didn't do anything.

"She told him about the third year." Ethan explained.

"That makes sense." Dean told them. "You all probably wouldn't know enough to tell; _I_ don't even know much about what happened that year. I do assume that Harry and them must have been through a lot. First thing I know is that Sirius Black broke into our dorm holding a knife and trying to kill Harry, and then I'm being told by Neville two years later that he was Harry's godfather, and had died to protect him!"

There were titters when he said that, and Colin jumped in, telling Dean a very abbreviated version of the tale Ginny had told.

"So, Black was innocent the entire time of all the crimes he'd been accused of?" Dean sounded incredulous, as Dudley understood well. The man had never even gotten a trial! It would be unheard of, in the muggle world.

He got an answer in the affirmative, and just shook his head in amazement.

"So," Dean said to them after absorbing this, "that means that you're on fourth year?"

"Yup. I told him the basics." That was news to everyone else, as the conversation had been a private one between Dudley and Ethan. Ethan explained this—loudly—to everyone else.

"So all that he knows is that there was a tournament, and the ending with the maze. I don't think anyone here knows what happened in the maze and right afterwards, right?"

There were only heads being shaken all around the room. Dean was looking hesitant.

"Dean?" Dennis questioned.

"I don't even understand everything I've heard, and some was private conversations in the middle of the night between Harry and Ron, and other parts were nightmares. I can't share anything. Actually, I think none of us really want to know, anyway. Didn't you all _see_ his face when he arrived back with Cedric and the trophy?"

Dean must have brought up a good point, as many people looked sickened.

"He looked so shocked, and ill. I almost didn't recognize him, based on his face alone." Ethan admitted.

"How about," Dean suggested, "we just talk about the tournament itself? That was exciting until the end. We just won't talk about the third task. After all, even though he wasn't supposed to be in it, Harry came in first in almost everything!"

There was excited chatter here. Colin started off everything with a bang, talking about how the other two schools had arrived right before Halloween, and the ways they tried to show each other up.

"The horses were huge! Even compared to Hagrid, which you know is saying something." Colin informed Dudley seriously, when telling him about the French school. "But even cooler, to me, anyway, was the Durmstrang boat!"

When Colin tried, and failed, to explain the boat rising out of the water, Ethan did it for him. Then Dean took over explaining the Goblet of Fire.

"It really was just a large goblet, but it lit up with flames to start the tournament. It was placed for twenty-four hours in the entrance hall. There were enchantments to prevent anyone under seventeen from entering, as people had died in past tournaments." This brought some severity back to the room's atmosphere.

Dean tried to liven it up again. "Seventeen is the legal age for magical folk. So all the wanna-be champions needed to do was write their name and school on a piece of paper and put it in the goblet. The goblet would 'choose' the winner. Want to hear about what happened when someone only six months shy tried to enter? I was lucky enough to be there, not just hear it second hand!"

Everyone seemed excited to hear this, many people whispering about how they'd been somewhere else, and how could they miss it!

But it was Colin's remark that gained Dudley attention. "It was bloody brilliant! It was basically the Weasley twins getting pranked by Dumbledore!"

Dean went into description of the scene, starting with the exuberant excitement of the twins, as they were sure that they had outwitted Dumbledore.

Then he described the silence as the twins were inside the circle of spells, waiting after dropping their papers in.

Then Dean explained how they were spit out.

"And the best part was," he continued with a wide grin over the howls of laughter echoing around the room from his narrative, "that they _had_ been aged somewhat, even if the goblet hadn't believed them. They were both sporting long, white beards rivaled to Dumbledore's!" That had everyone in renewed stitches. Dudley knew that the odds were very high that the Weasley twins at one time or another had pranked everyone in that room with him.

This was something the twins had had coming to them, in most opinions.

There was a commotion when they heard about Halloween night, as everyone in the room who had been a student in the castle at the time felt badly about not believing Harry. And everyone not at the castle berated all those who had been.

"All right, ENOUGH!" Ethan finally called through the noise. When it was silent he continued, "We were all idiots to believe anything spread around by the press and by the Slytherins, we know. But it was common belief, and people starting believing Harry after the first task, when it was obvious it wasn't just fun and games. Not many people, mind you, but a few and most of the people in this room." He glared around at them all, like he was a parent disciplining misbehaving children under his responsibility.

"Now, we can let it go, alright? It was years ago, and somehow, I think we have bigger things to be worrying about." Most people looked a little ashamed at the reminder, and everyone nodded their agreement.

"Good."

Dean then talked about the anticipation leading up to the next task, and how there were numerous rumors about what the champions would have to face.

"Of course, none of them were right." He informed Dudley. "And imagine our shock when before the first champion was called out, they led a full grown, nesting dragon into the arena!" There was a gasp hear from Dudley, but he wasn't embarrassed. He felt perfectly justified. Besides, all the kids who hadn't been there reacted the same way.

There was a quick summary following about the other champion's efforts. Dudley was interested enough in hearing about Cedric Diggory, Viktor Krum (who was apparently a _very_ famous Quidditch player) and Fleur Delacour (now Weasley—Dudley hadn't been expecting that one!). Fleur's approach seemed interesting, though Dudley didn't understand the technique of Veela charms. Once he'd gotten it explained to him what a Veela was, and how Fleur was part one, he'd gotten the majority of the students to admit they didn't understand the actual method either.

Krum did some sort of spell that Dudley didn't understand and that no one really cared enough to explain, and Cedric turned something into a dog as a distraction. Dudley understood that technique with a bit more ease, and was impressed when he was told how difficult animate transfiguration is (turning something into something alive).

But it went unsaid that everyone was waiting for the tale of Harry's victory, even those who had been present.

Dean had told Dudley that he was somewhat an artist, but Dudley thought Dean could make a living as a storyteller (if people actually _could_ make money doing that).

"So we were all sitting there, wondering what in the world Harry was up against. I was sitting next to Ron and Hermione, and I wasn't so sure that was the best place for me. Like I said earlier, Ron and Harry still weren't talking, and Hermione was a bleeding mess. Even Ron couldn't find the heart to do anything to upset her, even though they bicker nonstop every other day!" That was greeted by appreciative chuckles from those who must have understood from experience.

"Of course, that didn't hold when the dragon was led out. Ron moaned, and we all know that his older brother was a dragon expert. We'd seen him out handling the dragons. It was obvious he was a Weasley—the hair alone…

"Ron then informed us that Harry had been given the Hungarian Horntail!" That was met with the gasps that Dean must have been anticipating. Dudley joined in though he didn't know one breed of dragon from the next, but the name sounded fearsome.

And Dean's voice and expression left no doubt that Harry's so-called 'luck' had come through once again.

Harry had the most rotten luck of anyone Dudley had ever met.

"The Horntail, especially females and the nesting ones, were the most dangerous of the ones brought for the tournament. One of the most dangerous still alive, actually.

"Harry's always been small, but after seeing the other seventeen-year-old champions, and seeing him next to that _massive_ dragon… we were all pretty nervous. Hermione was terrified. I thought her nails were going to go straight through Ron's arm! And he had this expression on his face: it was obvious he'd just realized that his best friend's life was in danger through this task…

"Seamus and I were ready to laugh at his expression, but decided it wasn't the correct time, or place. Hermione's terrifying with a wand, and no one was willing to mess with her just then."

There were more laughs then. Ethan leaned over to whisper to Dudley, "Seamus Finnigan is another of Harry's dorm mates. He's best mates with Dean, but since he's a half-blood he was required to return to Hogwarts this year. And Hermione is the best witch in her year, and maybe mine too. From what we've witnessed in the common room when people interrupt her studying, it's _really_ better not to upset her." Dudley nodded his thanks for the explanation.

"When he raised his wand high, none of us had any idea what he was going to do. Well, let me revise that. Hermione most likely knew. I think she had been helping him train, as the other champions had at least two years of schooling on him, some had three. Hermione was muttering under her breath, but I couldn't tell what she was saying at first. Then, I realized she was repeating the instructions for a successful summoning charm under breath, muttering the wand movement, the correct pronunciation, and 'you can do it', and 'remember' with something technical, over and over…

"It was very Hermione behavior, but it didn't explain how Harry was going to beat a dragon with a summoning charm." Dudley wondered the same thing. Summoning charms looked dead useful. When he couldn't find his goblin history book the morning before, Justin had summoned it for Dudley, and it had appeared zooming out from under the couch in the game room (though how it ended up there Dudley had never discovered).

But he didn't see how it would help Harry not be sliced up or roasted by a dragon intent on protecting her eggs.

"There must have been a spell on the arena," Dean continued, "because we could all hear Harry perfectly clearly. And let me tell you, anyone who knew Harry at all understood a minute later. After he clearly shouted out '_accio Firebolt!_'."

There were grins and some people obviously remembered back on the task, and woops from people getting into the spirit.

"What," Dudley ventured, cautious at disturbing the mood, "is a Firebolt?"

There was stunned silence for a moment. The Ethan shook his head in self-disgust. "Sorry Dud—I keep forgetting. It's not your fault you don't know." He said this to Dudley, but glared at several people to get them to shut their gaping mouths.

"A Firebolt is the current fastest model of broom on the market. The international teams use them. Harry got one his third year, and no other school player would be able to handle one like him. Harry's a natural on the broom, and he's always winning matches for Gryffindor. Everyone at school knows that, which is why Dean said it made sense to people after they heard that."

"Yeah," Dean continued, picking up after Ethan finished explaining, "And it was bloody brilliant to witness this! The flying was more impressive than anything I'd ever seen him do in a match! He zoomed around its head, staying out of fire range and irritating it to the point where it took off, leaving the ground to chase after him. That's when he dove steeply down to the ground, snatching up the golden egg and completing the task faster than any of the older champions!"

Dean's audience was clearly making the boy happy, Dudley observed, as Dean grinned a little wider each time he gained a response from his listeners.

They continued to hear about the tournament, though it wasn't as interesting. Dudley laughed along with the tale of Harry's failed Ball date, picturing his poor cousin tripping over himself with a girl.

He obviously got over that, if confident, fiery Ginny Weasley was any indication.

The second task wasn't as interesting because the students couldn't see what was happening. The ending was entertaining to some extent, though.

"We were all a little disappointed that Harry had been last to return. It was oddly different watching without Ron and Hermione, but the girls from the Quidditch team, who I think all viewed Harry as a younger brother of sorts, all quickly took over the berating for the absent Hermione. They told us we should be glad that Harry emerged unscathed from the task.

"But then Dumbledore announces that Harry actually reached Ron and the others held first, but thought they'd die if they weren't retrieved. So he waited until Hermione and Cho were 'rescued', and when Fleur didn't show, took both her sister and Ron back with him.

"Of course Dumbledore wouldn't actually let anyone be hurt, but Harry wasn't thinking clearly, I assume. But the judges decided to mark him high points anyway, for showing… 'moral fiber', I think Dumbledore called it."

There were appreciative chuckles.

"Yup," Colin said, "that's Harry alright. He's a hero."

"Well," Dean said quietly, "he really just wants to be a normal teenager. I guess it's something he can't help."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thanks for reading! I know it wasn't everything included that I'd promised, but the rest will be what chapter seven is made of!**_

**_Did anyone have any guesses or ideas when I'd mentioned visitors last chapter at the end? I'm just curious if anyone had thought of Dean and Ted coming..._**

**_And thank you to _Oreny19! **

**_It's all because of this lovely reviewer and the conversation we had in response (I try to always answer reviews) that Dean made an appearance at all! I wasn't sure how to make it work, but talking it out helped loads, and the solution I used came from Oreny19. So again, thank you._**

**_Please review, if you aren't too angry at me for the long wait. :( Pretty please? How about I send a free preview to all reviewers?_**

**_Again, thank you, and enjoy the end of Summer for those of you still experiencing it. I, however, am back in school._**

**_I'll try to update soon. I promise._**

**_-Books_**


	7. Potterwatch, Friendship and a Surprise!

**_A/N: Hello all! Thank you so much for all your support and encouragement. I really couldn't have done all this without everyone's reviews. So, thanks!_**

**_This chapter is much longer than I had meant. It ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm sorry, but it's nothing bad, and it was better than posting another chapter only 2000 words long. So, I hope to have another regular length one up soon._**

**_Enjoy!_**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of plot lines or ideas, etc that look familiar. Those are all the possessions of the wonderful, amazing, JK Rowling. However, she is letting me play in her sandbox, if we can use that comparison...<strong>

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><p>"Hello, and welcome to another night where we at <em>Potterwatch<em> found a safe location to broadcast. We have a very exciting agenda tonight, including a potential Potter sighting! But that will be covered later, by Romulus and Royal, since it has to do with the Ministry."

Dudley settled back farther into his seat on the couch to listen. Dean and Ted had left almost a week ago, and it had taken that long for them to get the safe house back to it's definition of normal again. People were still shaken up by the idea of Dean out there, moving from safe location to safe location. No one was sure if he was ok or not. There was no way to get a message around. No way to know.

It was late in the evening. The sun was setting, almost gone, behind the hills visible out of the game room's big windows. They had finished dinner a while ago and the kids had retired to their 'hang-out' room as was now normal. And as always, someone (normally the Creevey brothers) was in charge of spinning the dial on the radio, using the password mentioned last episode to see if this would be the night where Lee Jordan found a safe spot to broadcast from. When he didn't, they would just play games and talk. When he did, the kids would immediately let the adults know so they could listen in the sitting room, before settling down themselves.

This night had brought a broadcast (as they'd been hoping and predicting). Petunia had joined the adults, and the kids brought any stragglers in for the show.

Dudley looked around the room. The Creevey brothers were sitting on a loveseat across the room for him, almost bouncing in their seats. Both of them had professed to missing Lee Jordan immensely. This was the first episode of _Potterwatch_ in a while, and Dudley knew they were excited.

In an armchair next to him was Ethan, who was leaning forward seriously, with only a tiny smile tugging his lips while listening to Lee talk. He was probably worried about what a 'potential Potter sighting' was. Dudley knew he was worried himself. What had Harry been up to now? The more he heard about Harry's school years, the less he wanted to know how bad this year was…

Near Ethan, Justin was perched on a chair with Molly curled up on a pillow by his feet. She and a couple other younger kids were putting a magical puzzle together while listening. It looked difficult, because the picture was moving as they tried to fit pieces in. Dudley shook his head in confusion and looked away.

Sally-Anne was sitting across the room from Dudley with the third year Kathy, doing the younger girl's hair. She smiled at Dudley when she saw him looking at her. He smiled back, feeling his cheeks darken with a blush and his heart start to beat faster.

_What was_ that?

But Dudley forgot about that as Lee was talking about the agenda of the broadcast.

"First off tonight we're going to share a list of those we know of missing, with the hopes that they're found safe and well. Then we are going to have a moment of silence for those recently killed and their surviving family and friends. And after that we'll hear if there's anything else of interest in the world in general, before Royal brings us a Ministry update and Romulus gives us Pals of Potter.

"Now, have you two finally decided on names?"

This caused the kids listening to erupt in laughter, remembering how Lee had berated the twins on numerous broadcasts before for not having their names decided yet. In each one he'd assign names, but they never lasted until the next time the safe house heard a broadcast. They had been Rodent and Rabbit again almost every time, to their mutual disgust.

"Yes, in fact we have!" Without a Weasley there it was impossible to distinguish one twin from the other, particularly over the radio. Dudley decided to call this one Twin 1.

"Wait, wait!" Twin 2 interrupted. "I don't agree with the name we chose for me!"

"Which one was that? Raccoon?" There were snorts of laughter all over the game room, as well as over the radio. The radio ones sounded suspiciously like not only Lee, but Remus and Kingsley as well.

"No, it was not! It was 'Risk'. I don't think I like it anymore."

There was a sigh over the radio that sounded suspiciously like Lee. "We don't have time for this! If you don't decide in the next two minutes, you will be Rose and Rainbow."

There were twin gasps of horror at this, even as the safe house game room burst into renewed laughter. The twins on the radio started spitting out every R codename they could think of at super speed, obviously not wanting to be stuck with such… pretty sounding names.

"Riff-Raff!"

"Racer!"

"Reaper!"

"Rapier!"

"Riot!"

"Radical!"

"How about Rat?" Suggested an innocent-sounding Remus to identical exclamations of outrage.

"You're not helping, Romulus!" Twin 1 burst out. "If you're not careful, we'll tell all our lovely listeners what your wife thought _your_ name should be!"

Remus very quickly shut up to the disappointment of all his former students, who Dudley noticed had quickly paid much closer attention to the radio. Most likely they were looking for teasing material. It didn't seem like Remus was anything other than kind, patient, and basically _nice_ all the time. It wasn't easy to get material like the twins were waving around.

"How about 'Ruler-of-the-World?" Suggested Twin 2. "It's hyphenated, so it's technically one R word!"

Lee sighed heavily again. "Out of time."

"_What?_"

"_No!_"

"I _refuse_ to be called Rainbow!"

"How do you know you'd be Rainbow? That might be _me_. You might be Rose!"

"Just as bad!"

"Oh would you both just _shut up_!" Lee was through with the joking. It was obvious even over the radio, and even to Dudley, who had never met the bloke.

"You are going to be Ruffian and Ruckus. And you will enjoy it!"

And that was the end of the issue.

"Now, as I said before our resident idiots interrupted me," Lee began, ignoring the twin shouts of "hey!" from behind him, "we're going to start of the night with a list of some of those who are missing. Please if you run into any of these people, help them in some way. That's all that we here at _Potterwatch_ ask."

The mood both over the radio and in the game room got very solemn, as people paid close attention, dreading hearing familiar names.

"Tonight we send our hopes and wishes to the following: Dirk Cresswell, a Ministry employee on the run for being a Muggleborn; Emma Dobbs, a thirteen-year-old muggle born who ran away from home to protect her family. They're very worried about her, and beg her to let them know if she's all right; May and Paul Hooper and their daughter Jill. Their son Geoffrey, a Muggleborn Gryffindor, made it to a safe house and is worried about them as they've disappeared. His sister is eleven and should have gotten a Hogwarts letter this summer."

Lee paused for a minute to let that sink in. There were some stunned looks from people who must have recognized the names of the thirteen-year-old and that boy, Geoffrey. There weren't too many missing people, but certainly too many for that week. Too many to be missing and worried in the first place.

"Now our moment of silence," Lee began, and people tensed up in the game room, "for the following: Martha Kirke, Laura Madley, and Lily Moon. Laura and Lily would both be in Hogwarts this year if not for the new Muggleborn laws, Laura as a Hufflepuff fourth year and Lily as a seventh year Ravenclaw. Martha Kirke was the mother of Andrew Kirke, a Gryffindor fifth year who is currently in hiding. None of them deserved what happened to them, by monsters that hate them simply for who they are. For something they can't control, and that they shouldn't have to fear: their blood.

"Now please, a moment of silence for these brave, loved, and lost women."

Lee became silent then, as those in the game room followed his lead.

Dudley was in shock. Those two girls were younger than him! One was seventeen, yes, but Dudley was older for his grade. And the other was only fourteen!

And that other lady, she was killed just because she'd had a wizard for a son. How was that just? Or fair? Why was this happening?

Dudley looked around the room to see everyone in shock, most with tears pouring down their faces. Sally-Anne, Justin, Kathy and Colin in particular seemed upset, as well as another boy, a fifteen-year-old that Dudley didn't remember the name of. He assumed all of those had connections to the deceased people (he felt it would be rude, even in his thoughts to say 'dead people'. As well as the fact that thinking the words would make it more real, and he couldn't bear the thought. Was all war like this? It was devastating…).

Now Lee was back.

"We will always try to remember those that we've lost. If any of our listeners are in any position to do so, please comfort those who have lost a loved one. And if anyone hears of the missing people, or runs into them, please, we beg you to help them. If You-Know-Who keeps us from helping each other out of fear, if he suppresses us until we're against each other as well as him, then he's won. He won't need to kill anymore of us for the war to be lost."

He paused again to let that sink in. Lee was right, Dudley realized. There was no point of fighting anymore if people had no will left, no hope. Well, Dudley wouldn't let that happen to him. He might not have magic. He might not be able to send spells at the bad guys. But he could keep moral up, and make sure those who could fight wouldn't give up.

Dudley was a fresh perspective.

"Now," said Lee with a little bit of a brighter voice, "I give you Ruffian and Ruckus to tell us a bit about the wizarding world and Hogwarts. They'll lighten things up a bit. Not that we want to tarnish the memory of those lost or lessen their importance."

A new voice took over for Lee here. It was the twin that Dudley had called Twin 1 (he had a slightly different way of saying his 'R's', nothing really noticeable, but it was there).

"Hello, I'm Ruffian," he introduced himself, "And to finish what River was saying, we don't want to forget those who have been lost to us, but a dear, dear friend once told Ruckus and me something. He told us,"

And here Ruckus broke in, "we're all going to need some laughs…"

"…sometime soon." Finished Ruffian. "And he was right. Those keep us upbeat. And that is what will allow us to win the war."

"After all, You-Know-Who doesn't know how to laugh!"

And then both twins broke into cackles. The game room chuckled a little bit, but Dudley assumed that they weren't all comfortable with laughing at jokes made about the most dangerous dark wizard of their lifetime (Dudley had read some history books about some pretty frightening blokes. And ladies.) Dudley hadn't grown up with knowing about this stuff, and even he wasn't all right with laughing.

The twins seemed to realize this, and they quickly moved on.

"So, let's start with the Wizarding world." Ruffian started. "Things aren't so good, sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Though, if you didn't know about that already, then I have to ask—"

"—what rock have you been hiding under?" His brother finished.

The game room did laugh at that. Ruckus continued with a more serious voice.

"Besides the wizarding deaths and disappearances that we _do_ know about, or the muggle ones connected to magical people, there have been numerous attacks on muggle towns. The Dementors have also been running rampant on the muggle cities, the fear and despair feeding them and causing them to breed."

"Where's Harry Potter and his unique Patronus when you need them, hmm?" Ruffian asked his brother with a bit of humor in his voice. The game room broke into smiles. Ethan leaned over to explain to Dudley.

"The only defense against Dementors is the Patronus charm—that silvery thing that Harry used when he was fifteen with you, that almost got him expelled. He was _very_ young to be able to learn it successfully. I don't know if any other thirteen-year-old has ever done that."

Dudley remembered being told about Harry's almost expulsion now, and about the Patronus, vaguely. He didn't think anyone had ever told him how hard the charm was, though.

Ruckus continued talking. "Currently the only people confidant enough to venture into Diagon Alley are the Death Munches," that caused some gasps and chuckles in the game room, Dudley as well when he realized they were referring to the Death _Eaters_, "their open supporters, or those firmly neutral. Even we, rebels and risk takers, beg you all to please, do not venture into public places such as Diagon Alley, the Ministry, Hogsmede, etcetera, if it can in anyway be avoided. It's not safe.

"Particularly the Ministry." Ruffian added, "Though everywhere is being monitored and all the security is being upped by multiples."

"On that note," Ruckus ended, "we pass our lovely time over to Royal, with news of our beloved Dark Lord's Ministry. He has some exciting news for us."

"Though we admit he's not as exciting as us."

"Nor as handsome."

"And we know you'll miss us!"

"And—"

But before whatever twin could continue (Dudley had lost track a while before), Lee broke in.

"Enough! And here's Royal!"

"Thank you, River, Ruffians,"

"Hey! That's Ruffi_an_ and _Ruckus_!"

"No," Kingsley's deep voice disagreed, "You're both ruffians." And there was really no way the twins could dispute that. Everyone in the game room knew it, and so did the twins.

"Now," Kingsley continued, and Dudley felt himself relaxing at his deep, calm voice. Nothing felt like it could be unfixable or disastrous when Kingsley was talking. He could make it all right. Dudley looked around and knew everyone else was feeling the same way. There was just something… _safe_ sounding about Kingsley.

"My job is to tell you about the Ministry. As of yesterday, I would be telling you about the Muggleborn laws just enacted, and the way Muggleborns are being dragged to the Ministry for unfair trials, asking where they 'stole' their magic from."

There were gasps and exclamations of outrage in the game room, until Ethan whistled loudly.

"Let's hear what Kingsley has to say!" Everyone quickly quieted down, only to hear that Kingsley had paused anyway, clearly anticipating that reaction from the many _Potterwatch_ listeners.

"Yes, it's horrible," he agreed calmly, "and we can only hope that it changes soon. Those of us who can still work in the Ministry take great pains to not be implicated in any 'rebellious' acts, so we can stay at work safely."

"Now Royal, why do you say 'as of yesterday'?" Lee's voice joined in over the wireless, "What's different about today?"

"Quite right, River." The way the two of them were talking made it obvious, to Dudley at least, that at least part of this conversation was pre-planned. It was in the way that they reacted and spoke, and their tones as well to some extent.

"This morning something happened that no one can explain, and that I don't think we know the whole of. Let me put it in simplest terms to start: The Ministry was infiltrated this morning by people that we believe are on our side."

There was instant uproar in the game room.

"Infiltrated!"

"What does that even _mean_?"

"Who would _want_ to go to the Ministry these days anyway?"

"How?"

"What do you mean?"

"Weeellll, there's major security, right?"

"But why?"

"And how?"

"MAYBE," Justin's voice was heard above the hubbub, as even Ethan wasn't concerned with keeping order this time, "Maybe," he repeated when the room calmed down, "we would find out the answer to all those questions if we would quiet down and listen to Kingsley talk."

"But the Ministry of Magic was infiltrated!" Dennis protested weakly.

"Shush, Dennis," his brother told him, "We should listen to find out details."

"Thank you." Justin sighed, pulling Molly closer to his legs, as if for support. She leaned against his knees as everyone else retook their seats and sat closer to the radio and each other, seeking comfort unconscious. Dudley found himself next to Ethan and Sally-Anne, suddenly. And he was grateful for the companionship shown in the room, even to a muggle like him, who had nothing in common with most of these people.

All the games were forgotten. All attention was focused on the radio. Dudley absently wished that it were like a telly, able to show him the people as well. He imagined the redheads with wicked grins on their faces, imagining the shock of their listeners. He didn't know what Lee looked like, but from descriptions he could imagine the grin he was sporting as well.

"All right, can I continue?" Kingsley asked calmly, "Or are people still exclaiming in shock?"

"I think you can go, Royal." Lee assured him. "Otherwise we might run out of time before Romulus gets to the good stuff! I mean, besides yours, of course."

"What about us?" Demanded two identical voices. But they were ignored. Even though Dudley liked hearing the twins' banter, he was glad.

Just what _was_ this about good intruders in the Ministry?

"As I was saying," Kingsley continued, "We don't know how long they were in the building for. We weren't aware of them until they were ready to leave. At least, when they left. I assume it was a planned leaving.

"Of course, the part that assured us of their… views… was the fact that they took a group of muggleborns awaiting trial with them. All of the muggleborns and the intruders managed to escape. We discovered later that it appeared that they used Polyjuice Potion to take the place of Ministry workers."

"A potion that allows someone to look like someone else for an hour at a time unless retaken," Ethan whispered to Dudley, "you just add some of the person you want to impersonate, like some hair."

Dudley grimaced. He thought the idea was cool, but not quite worth drinking hair or toenails or something. "Thanks," he whispered back.

"Of course," Lee added in, "they left the place a mess on the way out, didn't they Royal?"

"Correct, River. They were down in the dungeons, where the trials were taking place in the old courtrooms. They somehow managed to control the Dementors—which means patronus charms—and get the muggleborns to the main lobby. Then they got them all out of the fireplaces before the Ministry got the system locked down. It was chaos, with people running and screaming and we were all not quite sure who was on which side. It was close getting them all out, which gives us the question: what was their purpose?

"After all," he finished quietly, "no one would have entered the Ministry without a good reason, particularly these days. Though freeing the muggleborns was a noble and good act, it wasn't their goal. Everything was too rushed at the end."

"Whoever it was, though," Lee said in a rather serious voice, "we thank them. I have some notes here from some of the people rescued this morning, who would like me to thank the mysterious risk-takers.

"Linda says: 'Thank you! Because of you, my little boy and I made it to my sister's house. She's getting us out of the country. I can never thank you enough—whoever you are, that small man saved my life by pushing me through the fireplace.'

"And Benjamin asked me to say: 'You saved the life of my wife today. I can't find words to describe what that means to me. We've been married over forty years, and she's as magical as you and me! None of those people deserved what was being done to them.'

"And there's many more, but no time right now. So I'll send a blanket thank you for those mysterious saviors: Many people owe you their lives, no matter what your original objective was.

"Now," Lee said in a more upbeat voice, "It's time for Romulus with Pals of Potter! Romulus, what do you have for us today?"

"Well," began Remus to small cheers through the game room at his voice, "today I wanted to start with a letter for Harry from Elizabeth. She says that she lives in London." He cleared his throat.

"'Dear Harry,'" he read, "'I am Elizabeth, and I am nine years old. I wanted to thank you for being so brave and fighting when other people can't. My daddy used to fight, but he can't anymore because he was hurt a long time ago. Now he and my mommy have to hide with my baby brother and me. So, I just wanted to say thank you, and that I believe in you. You will get rid of You-Know-Who, and I will get my Hogwarts letter in two years, even though my mommy's a muggle.

"Sincerely, Elizabeth, your biggest fan.'

"See Harry?" Remus questioned, "We all believe in you. If you're out there, somewhere, know that. And know that… you should follow your gut. It's almost always right, as your instincts are spot on. You were right about… that other thing too. And it's worked out now. So I wanted to thank you as well. You managed to do something so kind and right for me, when you have so much on your plate already. I don't know if you're listening tonight, so I'll continue to say this every broadcast incase you hear it."

Dudley looked around the room in confusion, but no one else looked like they had any idea what Remus meant.

"It sounds like he's seen Harry recently!" Colin burst out excitedly. It did sound like that, but before speculation and rumors could begin, Remus cleared a suspiciously clogged-sounding throat and continued.

"Now, onto the next part of Pals of Potter. Tonight I will speak about something that cannot be proven, but seems likely. I wonder how many listeners will have guessed?" He wondered.

"Not many." Lee answered him. "I know that _I_ wouldn't have guessed!"

"Right you are, River. Well, I guess I'll just spit it out."

"Thank you!" Justin yelled to the radio, to random laughs.

"We here at _Potterwatch _believe that the infiltration at the Ministry was the work of Harry, Ron and Hermione. And by the way, we have received confirmation that our own Harry is now 'Undesirable Number One'. Congratulations, Harry. We can't prove that it was you at the Ministry, of course, but the facts seem consistent.

"One," he said, and someone in the game room laughed and called out, "it's his teaching voice!" "There were three people at the Ministry. Two, there were two men and one female, as far as we can tell. Three, we don't know their purpose being there, but we know that our trio of crime fighters are on some mysterious mission. Four, Harry would never have left the muggleborns in danger there while he left. And someone spontaneously freed them. Five, we have eyewitnesses who think they recognized Harry's patronus in the Ministry. Very hard to be certain, of course, but we can hope. And six, we all _want_ it to be Harry."

"Besides," A twin, Dudley thought it was Ruckus, commented over Remus, "whenever something unbelievable or impossible happens, we have learned that it's most likely Harry at the source or cause. It's a method of guessing that has almost never failed."

"And on that note," Lee broke in, "I think it's time we end for tonight. Harry, and Ron and Hermione, wherever you are, we all wish you well. Those of us at _Potterwatch_, and all those cheering for you in the world in general.

"Keep those lost, in your thoughts, and don't let them have died in vain. Fight back, in even the most miniscule ways possible. Don't let fear control you, or you're submitting to their power.

"Help anyone you find who could use it. Keep compassion as your greatest weapon.

"The next password will be 'Phoenix' as soon as we have a secure location again. Goodnight all, and good luck."

There was silence in the game room. No one seemed to know what to say. Which piece to address first. There were so many options.

Dudley's mind was reeling. Finally, someone spoke up. And broke the silence in the most spectacular way that they could.

"Well," Colin Creevey said finally, "I don't think that Ginny finds Harry undesirable."

* * *

><p>Colin's comment after the <em>Potterwatch<em> episode was enough to break the tension and the dazes most people were in. There were laughs as people processed the absurdness of the remark, and then lots of conversation as people started to speculate, and like crazy at that.

Dudley thought he'd explode if one more person asked him how he thought Harry, Ron and Hermione had done it.

_He_ didn't know! He was a muggle! Did they all forget that in their amazement? Or…

Had Dudley really been here long enough that they no longer separated him in their minds from their school friends?

He didn't know how he felt about that.

He tried to put up with the conversation and the questions, but the more people talked the more uncomfortable and worried he got. Just how tight was security at the Ministry? Probably _very_ tight. And even if they did manage to up it now, it was probably dangerous before, too.

Was Harry okay? And his friends too, of course. No one else seemed to be considering this, but it worried Dudley. He didn't know how they could possibly come out of that unscathed.

And the same questions he'd been wondering for a while popped up: Where were the three staying? Did they have cover from the steadily worsening weather? Were they starving somewhere in the cold while Dudley himself was in a mansion and eating food fit for a king all at Harry's generosity?

He hoped not. But then again, he knew Harry's luck. It was probably something close to Dudley's worse imaginings.

So Dudley slipped from the game room the first moment he thought no one would notice. It wasn't very late—not long after eight in the evening. It was much to early to go to bed, and Dudley usually spent this time—guess where? —in the game room with the other teens.

Well, since he was leaving there, he'd have to find another way to entertain himself.

He was wandering the halls one floor below the game room (and two below him and his parent's flat) when he discovered he hadn't left the room as invisibly as he'd thought.

He'd been followed.

Dudley spun around, expecting to see Ethan, or Justin, or maybe even Colin (though he hadn't hidden his wariness for the Creevey brothers. They seemed to take pride in that).

Instead, he saw the girl he'd been getting progressively more nervous around.

Dudley had next to no experience with girls. He assumed now that it was probably from his bullying tendencies and his rudeness and his rather… large girth.

Of course, back at school he'd been much happier to profess that _he_ didn't want anything to do with _them_. He probably used some sort of derogatory term as well. Yeah, his other self disgusted him sometimes.

These witches he was living with all seemed like nice girls, and very normal expect for the magical abilities.

Which were cool once Dudley got over his ingrained fear of them.

Back to the girl issue, that was one of the reasons that Dudley was amazed that Harry had no only had a girlfriend, but that it was one who was pretty, smart, and powerful in her own right. Also, one that was willing to wait for Harry until he was done fighting a war. As long as it took, from what Dudley had discovered about Ginny.

Dudley would normally have thought that _Harry_ wasn't worth that. Of course, it seemed he was a very powerful and smart wizard, and famous to top it. That would probably attract girls, not to mention the other traits that Dudley had noticed about his cousin, like his kindness and goodness—despite what he had grown up with.

But all that flashed through Dudley's mind in a moment, as he processed who was standing behind him… well in front of him, as soon as he turned.

It was Sally-Anne Perks. Her pretty brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, tied with a yellow ribbon. She had pretty blue eyes, which were half covered by the small, silver framed glasses that she often put on in the evenings when she settled down to read in the game room.

Like most of the girls in the manor, she was wearing part of what was probably the Hogwarts uniform—minus the robes, of course. No one but the adults really wore wizarding clothing in the manor. The girls seemed to have a lot of fun every day trying to see how much they could alter with magic, add to with accessories, or change in some way the regulated skit and shirt.

Dudley realized that many of them probably hadn't had time to raid their closets before either running away or being taken to the safe house. He had heard Hestia and Sue saying one day that they wish they could shop for the girls, or take them out. But it was too dangerous. They had just mass ordered some uniforms to be delivered to another location and then moved to the manor. The boys were able to piece outfits together, but the girls either didn't have enough options or didn't want to or something. And apparently it was easier to alter the size of boys clothing.

Sally-Anne had a simple change to her outfit. The colors were changed a bit and she had added a light scarf and some jewelry. Dudley thought she looked very pretty.

"Um, hey, Sally-Anne."

"Hello Dudley." She answered with a little smile at his awkwardness. He blushed a little at that. "And you can call me Sally, if you'd like. That's what a lot of my friends do. It's shorter."

Dudley grinned at that, the shyness forgotten. "Thanks! I like the name Sally. What are you doing out here, Sally?"

"Following you, of course!" She answered cheerfully. "I noticed you weren't too interested in the conversation up there."

"No, I guess not." He sighed gustily. "I just hate not knowing what's going on; feeling so helpless. He could have gotten hurt in there, but no one else was thinking about that, only how they had done it!"

"Oh Dudley," Sally shook her head slowly, "that's a combination of things. First of all, it comes from fear." She must have seen Dudley's look of surprise. "Yes, fear. People here know what the Ministry and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named are capable of. And they don't want to think of their friends in that kind of situation. It's much easier to focus on that fact that Harry, once again, seemed to pull off the impossible."

She was silent for a moment. "What's another reason?" Dudley whispered, much calmer after hearing her first reason.

It made sense.

"Well, everyone knows Harry. Some have grown up in halfblood homes and have heard his name since their bedtime stories as little kids. Some, like Colin, have been in awe of him since their first year, when they heard some of the things he'd done. Either way, they _need_ to believe the best in Harry. Partly because they have for so long, and partly because he's the only one that's believed to be able to save us from the current war. Many of them wouldn't know what to do if they didn't make themselves believe that Harry knows what he's doing, and that he will bring himself and his friends home safe at the end.

"Of course," she added as an afterthought, "that probably stems from fear as well."

Dudley was quiet for a long time, thinking. It all made sense, and it leeched off the anger and annoyance he'd been feeling with the other kids. And if he admitted it, his problems were the same. He just didn't have the same need to believe in Harry, because he'd only had quick glimpses of Harry the Hero. He knew Harry, the scrawny, skinny orphan.

But it was still the same fear.

Sally must have seen the despondence on his face. He vaguely thought about how good she was at reading expressions. But for now she just smiled brightly at him.

"I know what might cheer you up!" She told him with an air of surprise and mystery that instantly caught his attention.

"What?" Her expression looked a little too much like Dennis Creevey's had right before he dumped that plate of whipped cream on Ethan's head after an argument between the two about the top Quidditch teams in the current standing.

Sally laughed, hearing his wariness.

"Oh, nothing like that! You'll like this—I promise. Follow me."

And Dudley _had_ liked the photo albums she'd shown him, complete with most of Harry's Hogwarts years. She'd told him a bit about them, but she hadn't know him well at all, it seemed, even though they'd been in the same year. She explained that she'd been in Hufflepuff, and kind of in awe of him after a while. They also didn't have a reason to interact.

But soon Ethan, Colin, Dennis, Justin, Molly, Kathy and a couple others joined them, and they stayed in the sitting room long into the night, telling stories and laughing at various pictures. Dudley loved the one of Harry, Ron and Hermione in their second year, standing in front of the magnificent looking castle, with the lake to one side and the forest to the other. They were smiling widely, and seemed to not only remind Dudley there were good times too, but the other kids as well.

It wasn't all about fighting dark wizards and creatures.

Everyone started to drift off around the time they got to a magnificent shot of Harry on a speeding broomstick, trying to get around a dragon. Like all of the pictures, they were magical and moved. But there was something more life-like about them than the movement. Colin was talented. Even Dudley could tell that, and he was no artist.

"Colin," Dudley muttered sleepily, "you should make a career as a photographer." He thought he might have heard a grunt in reply, but then he was asleep.

* * *

><p>The morning when most of the older kids woke up together in the sitting room, the adults showed little surprise and no anger. They understood, they explained, how the broadcast the night before might have affected the kids.<p>

The days moved on like normal. School work and studying, food in the boisterous and cheerful dining room, chess, reading and monopoly in the game room at night, listening to the wizarding networks on the radio, keeping up with _Potterwatch_ and enjoying life as much as they could.

The world was getting darker outside, but inside the Manor they tried as hard as they could to keep living to their fullest.

They had discussed it, and decided it was the best way to oppose Voldemort. Not that anyone said his name anymore (if they ever had). It was cursed, so they refrained from using it.

Soon it was the beginning of December, and from the windows the kids could see the freshly fallen snow. The adults all could see the longing on their faces, but it wasn't safe to go outside.

The teens understood, as much as they hated it.

Dudley had grown closer to Sally since that night she had followed him out of the game room. They spend many hours a day now, whenever they could get away, just talking. Comparing their lives, schooling, hopes, dreams… whatever came to mind.

"I haven't been at Hogwarts since my fourth year." Sally confided to Dudley one afternoon in the conservatory they found on the ground floor.

"Really?"

"Yeah." She laughed a little, but it sounded bitter. "That's why people my own age are tutoring me here. Ethan in particular has been great at getting me up to where I should be."

"Why?" Dudley asked quietly. She didn't need to ask to know what he was referring to.

"I'm actually not a muggle born," she admitted, "though that's what I tell people."

"_Why_?" Dudley asked again, though this time incredulously. Even he knew that halfbloods were safer than muggle borns. She shrugged self-consciously.

"It was safer… here, I'll explain. Let me get through it, yeah?" Dudley nodded in agreement.

"My dad was a wizard and my mum a muggle. Not even a muggle born, but a muggle. Trust me, that does make a difference to the Death Eaters.

"I knew a little about the magical world, but my dad didn't tell me much until I got my Hogwarts letter and he knew for sure that I was magical. At first I thought he didn't want to hurt me if it turned out I wasn't a witch. My dad loved me, but now I know that wasn't the whole reason."

Dudley turned cold. He'd heard the past tense used to talk about her dad. He suddenly didn't want to hear anymore. _Of course_ Sally would have a story just like everyone else's in the Manor. He just hadn't wanted to admit it, or think about it.

She continued on, either oblivious or ignoring Dudley's look of terror.

"It turns out he was hiding from someone… he was apparently a son of an old, noble, pureblood house. They weren't very happy when he ran off to marry a muggle. That's why I have my mum's last name—he never came out and said it, but I assume that they wouldn't be happy with my existence.

"I loved Hogwarts. My dad was so proud of me for fitting right into Hufflepuff and getting good grades and making good friends. Mum was too, for as much as she could understand. She supported me, at least."

Dudley could tell this was getting hard for her, so he reached over across the bench they had sat down on, and took her hand gently. She gave him a grateful smile in return.

"But I think dad started to realized something was going on… after the events of first, second and third year. He knew the signs, I guess, from being part of a dark family during He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's first rise. He was getting nervous and all, and then one day at the end of my fourth year—right after the third task—he didn't come home."

Dudley gasped, despite the fact that he'd known where that was going.

"Mum didn't know what to think, but I'd just heard Headmaster Dumbledore tell the students that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back. It was too much to be a coincidence.

"We got a note by owl that night. I was right. _HE_ had found my father and killed him.

"Mum took us to her cousin's in France. I was caught up on my muggle subjects and sent to school. She was convinced it was safe."

Dudley began to think Sally's tragedies weren't over yet. "It wasn't?" He questioned softly.

"I knew just being in another country wasn't safe. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had some sort of pride thing going on with my dad, who was brave enough to oppose him and refuse to join him. He went after mum, who I guess he thought 'sullied' an old pureblood line."

In any other situation Dudley would have chuckled at the look of revulsion of Sally's pretty, delicate face. In this one he just gave her hand a comforting squeeze. She took a deep breath.

"Mum had taken my wand. I didn't know any magic beyond fourth year anyway. So I hid as they dragged her away. She'd ordered me not to leave the closet. They didn't know to look for me, I think."

"_God_, Sally," Dudley murmured, "What did you _do_?"

"I did the only thing I could think of—I found the wizarding section of Paris and sent a letter to Professor Dumbledore." Dudley sighed in relief. "However," Sally said, causing him to freeze, "this was last summer."

In response to Dudley's look, "I'd been cut off from the wizarding world. I had no way to know he had been killed. But somehow, my owl made it to Remus, who I knew as my favorite Defense teacher, Professor Lupin. He traveled the muggle way to Paris to get me and bring me here. I was one of the first to get here, but it comforted me more than they know to see so many familiar and kind faces. Susan visited once, and she was one of my best friends. And everyone was so kind…

"Everyone has that kind of story." She said firmly, unknowingly mirroring Dudley's earlier thoughts. "Some are just worse than others."

Dudley nodded in agreement.

"I think," he murmured softly, "that you were and are very brave for enduring so much and still being so strong and kind."

She smiled kindly at him, the bitterness and sadness slowly fading from her face. "Thanks, Dudley. That means a lot to me."

They sat there in silence for a moment longer, soaking up some rare peacefulness. Of course, it made sense that would be broken by a Creevey brother.

"Hey! DUDLEY? SALLY?"

"What's wrong Colin?" Sally yelled back anxiously, both of them standing up and rushing to the door.

"Oh, there you are." They slowed down at the casualness in Colin's voice. "FOUND THEM!" He yelled out the door.

Dudley winced. "Please Colin, don't you have a lower volume?"

"Oh, sorry." He blushed sheepishly. "It's just that I'm excited. It's been getting pretty repetitive and boring around here, but the adults said they have an early Christmas present for us!"

_Present?_ Dudley wondered. _Like, one?_

Colin was still talking. "They said to give it to us they need us all there. So, c'mon!"

Sally looked at Dudley and laughed at the bemused look on his face. She seemed over her melancholy mood.

"Well, c'mon!" She mimicked Colin, and Dudley was left to follow them both out of the room.

Well, Colin was right about one thing. It would be something to liven up the day. Hopefully it was something that he, a non wizard, would and could enjoy too.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Sooooo, what d'ya all think? Good? Overdone? I'd love to hear opinions!**_

_**And this time, anyone who sends me what they think the present is will get a preview! I won't send them to everyone this time. BTW, what did people think about the previews? Like them?**_

_**So, sorry about the little cliffhanger. But it's not too bad. Please review, and I hope you liked this chapter. **_

_**Next Chapter in DDQT (Dudley Dursley and the Quest for Truth):**_

**The present- what could it be?**

**Some Sally Anne/ Petunia talk, and then some Hestia/Petunia talk (if I have time and inspiration for both)**

**And Christmas preparations!**

_**Thank you again for all your support! Reviews really make my days. I love all of you very much. :)**_

_**-Books**_


	8. Quidditch, Pictures, and a Debate

**_A/N: Hello all! Sorry for the long wait- I did warn you that I was in school, so I thank you all for your patience._**

**_I'd also like to thank you for all the suggestions and guessing on the kids' gift. Some of you were close and some not at all, but everyone gave me amazing ideas for future plot lines and things to add. So, for all you who reviewed, thank you!_**

**_I'd like to thank everyone who had favorit-ed this story, or added it to alerts. Thank you so much for your support. And everyone who has reviewed, you have seriously kept me going here. Gratitude, from deep in my heart for all of you._**

**_Last thank you is for anonymous reviewers. I can't send you individual responses, so I'll say here thank you for your support and your kind notes. If any of you have specific questions that you want answered, make sure to specify that and I'll put in at the beginning of the next chapter._**

**_Okay, so the end scene here (added purely for fun as it has NO real meaning at all besides kicks and giggles) was all the idea of my amazing little sister. She goes by Lollypops101. Love you, Lolls!_**

**_Again, thank you everyone. Sorry about this Loooong A/N, so I'll end it now. Hope you enjoy this chapter!_**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: This all belongs to the amazing, incredible JK Rowling. I own one copy of all the books, and two of the first and sixth. Oh, and 'fantastic beasts and where to find them'. I love using that thing as reference for fics! <strong>

* * *

><p>All of the kids congregated in the hallway near the back of the house, somewhere Dudley had never seen before. In fact, he didn't remember ever being this far back in the house before. Most of the rooms they used were nearer to the front and middle of the large mansion.<p>

Then again, the manor was so large that he was never quite sure where he was. And with the moving staircases (and Dudley suspected rooms as well) the house seemed never ending sometimes.

"Everyone here?" Dedalus asked with a bouncing sort of excitement. There was some counting and considering before they gave the wizard the affirmative. Of course, Hestia still felt the need to count herself.

"They're all here, Ded." She told him. "And Sue said to start without her—she and Petunia managed to get some plums from the elves shopping today, even though it's the wrong time of year, and they're eager to start some tarts."

Many people licked their lips at that (or in a couple cases licked drool that had started to run at the mention of Sue's famous baking skills) but it didn't deter from the excitement of their 'present'.

"Alright, follow me!" Dedalus announced, leading the way through the sole door in the middle of the end wall in the hall.

Dudley was near the end of the group, before Hestia who was bringing up the rear. Therefore, he heard all the exclamations of delight and amazement before he saw anything. When he reached the doorway, he saw it led to a flight of stairs—non moving, in this case—which led down to what Dudley could only assume was a basement.

Following Kathy's head of curls, Dudley couldn't see much beyond the walls, ceiling and darkness for a while.

That is, until it opened up to brightness quite suddenly.

"What the—" he cried out, in identical amazement as those before him.

This room didn't look anything like any basement that Dudley had ever seen. In fact, it didn't look anything like a room, either.

Someone had (using charms and spells, Dudley assumed) turned the entire room underneath the HUGE manor (and who knew how far that was, even before enlarging spells!) into what looked like an outdoor park!

The ceiling—as soon as Dudley was far enough down the stairs to look up at it—was as blue as the clearest day, with fluffy clouds floating around on it. Not, then, like the one at Hogwarts that Dudley had heard about. This one wasn't mimicking the outside weather.

They were expecting more snow, and it was rather gray outside.

The entire floor was covered with green, lush grass. It had been so long since Dudley had been outside that he wanted to just lie down in it, and roll around. The Manor was quite large, and they hadn't even discovered half it's secrets or explored a fraction of its halls, but there was nothing that could replace grass, blue sky and sunlight, in Dudley's opinion.

Funny, he'd never liked the outdoors, before. Then again, take something away and its absence is bound to be noticed more than its presence.

Dudley didn't even want to _think_ about all the work that the three adult wizards must have put into this gift for the teens. If Dudley didn't get another Christmas present, then this would be worth it.

He trailed after the other kids, who were 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over every little thing. Dudley didn't snicker—he was close to joining in.

"What does that do?" A small, fourteen year old boy asked Dedalus, pointing to a little metal box fixed to the wall near the far wall, at about the height of Dudley's chest.

"That, my boy!" Dedalus began with an air that assured all the children that he was pleased with their reactions so far, "is a control panel." Then, to answer their confused unspoken questions, "The Hogwart's ceiling that we modeled this after was done centuries ago, by the founders themselves. We had no hope of replicating it. However, the sun will 'set', if you will, at eight pm, and 'rise' again at seven am. That box, over there," he pointed at it, "will allow an adult to change the weather for you. To rain, snow, fog, overcast, etc. Of course you can't actually feel the affects of the weather, it's all illusions, but it's as close as we could make it."

"Oh, Dedalus, Hestia, it's amazing!" After Colin's enthusiastic praise, everyone else started up as well.

"Can't believe it!"

"Impressive!"

"How long did something like this take?"

"It'll be sooo nice to be 'outside' again, no matter how…"

"I couldn't have asked for a better gift!"

"Thank you!"

"How did you know this is what we needed?"

"And then, from Justin, the comment that caught everyone's attention and held it there for a full minute of silence.

"Are those… _Quidditch hoops?_"

Dudley had only seen pictures of the things before, but these looked like he'd been led to believe. Three on either end of the looooong room, so it was understandable that in their awe they had overlooked them at first. They had been painted a light blue—possibly to blend in with the 'sky'—and didn't look that exciting to Dudley. Then again, it meant that many of these kids would be able to fly and play Quidditch again, which they would be excited about.

So that was a good thing.

Dedalus was talking now.

"—three times the height, so that the hoops would fit. It was a challenge, but one that we rose to! I hope this is satisfactory, and that you all like it?"

Everyone stared at Dedalus incredulously, not making a sound as he fidgeted uncomfortably. Hestia finally snorted.

"Ded, I think we've made all their dreams come true. C'mon, let's get the next part of the 'gift'."

The teens looked at one another in bewilderment—what could she have meant? The outdoor Quidditch pitch was already amazing.

Dudley felt like for once he was ahead of everyone else. After all, how many of the young witches and wizards had been able to bring their broomsticks with them into hiding? It would have been cruel of Hestia and Dedalus to give them a pitch but no way to play.

The other kids—still in shock, most likely—had for the most part, not realized that yet.

Then the adults came back, lugging a crate between them, with a smaller one balanced on top.

Then, Dudley believed, it hit the other young wizards what must be in the box.

"Wait…" Ethan said with disbelief, "Those aren't brooms… are they?"

"No!" Colin exclaimed.

"You _can't _have gotten us all brooms!" An excited—Dudley noticed—Sally added.

"Well, you're partly right." Hestia said with a nod. She looked like she wanted to smirk, though, at all the down turned faces. Though, because those faces were down turned, Dudley believed he was the only one who saw.

Never mind, he corrected himself. Of course Dedalus saw too.

"Now, now, Hestia," he reprimanded his friend and colleague, "don't do that and let them infer the worst." Many faces returned to looking hopeful there. Although, Dudley noticed a few kids (mostly younger ones) who didn't look like they minded either way. Probably ones who were happy enough with just the grass and sky, like Dudley.

Hestia smiled around at all of them—a rare, true smile. "We managed," she told the younger folk happily, "to get donations from several families like the Boneses, Abbots, Weasleys, Patils, MacMillians, Boots and others of many old brooms." There was a large cheer here, and Hestia's smile turned into a full out grin.

"Now, granted," She told them firmly, "these were all very old. Nothing like Nimbuses or Firebolts, or anything. But, they have been looked over by several charm experts who have strengthened or extended the charms, and they are fully safe to fly on. There are plenty for all of you, and we hope that you enjoy them. Can we please be expecting some thank you notes for all the families that gave us their old brooms? We have a full list upstairs."

"Of course we will!" Sally called out, to many shouts of agreement. Many of the older boys were whispering instead of listening, but Dudley knew that Hestia would talk to them later. They would contribute as well as everyone else.

"And of course," Dedalus added with a large smile, "what good is a Quidditch pitch and brooms without Quidditch balls?"

It was a rhetorical question, but it brought the reaction that Dudley knew that Dedalus was hoping for.

"Balls too!"

"Really?"

"Like with a _snitch_ and all?"

"Why couldn't there be any Weasleys in hiding with us?"

Ethan explained that comment in an undertone to Dudley.

"For a while, the Weasleys made up the majority of Gryffindor's Quidditch team. Well, maybe not a majority. But before I started my first year, Charlie was a legendary Seeker and Captain." Dudley nodded acknowledgement when Ethan paused. He'd read a book and had Colin explain the players and equipment terms to him. Colin had been very proud, and explained that Harry had been the one to tell him all about them, back in Colin's first year at school.

"After Charlie left," Ethan continued, "it was the twin's turn to shock everyone. Percy, the middle son, wasn't interested in Quidditch. The twins got on as Beaters their second year—my first. They were incredible. It's like they could read each other's minds. Maybe they can—no one knows. But their captain, Oliver Wood, used to call them his 'human bludgers'." Dudley laughed at that—it was funny.

"Oliver was the Keeper, he plays on a professional team now. That team only had the twins as Weasleys on it. That was Harry's team." Dudley perked up at that, and Ethan grinned knowingly, correctly assuming that Dudley didn't know much about his cousin's Quidditch team.

"Harry was their star Seeker. After Oliver graduated, one of their chasers, Angelina Johnson, took over as captain. Ron Weasley was picked as their replacement Keeper. Now, granted, I wasn't really into the Quidditch matches, but I turned up to support Gryffindor. Ron was okay, and I hear he was better at practice. But he had some kind of performance anxiety, or something. The Slytherin taunts didn't help. Actually, he honestly sucked at the majority of the games."

Dudley winced. He played sports, and he knew how playing bad could lead to people resenting you and being pretty mean, even the ones you would _think_ would be on your side.

"Did Gryffindor end up loosing everything that year?"

"Nope, actually." Ethan said happily. "Harry never misses the snitch. And because of some Slytherin brat, he, Fred and George got kicked off the team after the first game."

"_WHAT_?" Dudley made sure his yell stayed at whisper level, as to not attract attention from the now flying and laughing teens, but he was stunned. Why would that happen?

"That's a tale for another day, but their replacement Beaters weren't that terrific. The real surprise, however, was Ginny Weasley."

"Really? Did she take over Seeker?"

"Yeah, and she was really good. Even her brothers apparently had no idea she'd been stealing their brooms for years to practice on at night."

Dudley laughed at that. The more he heard about Ginny Weasley the more he admired her. She seemed perfect for his cousin. She was bright and full of life. He didn't know many girls who played sports.

"So, they won?" He questioned.

"Yeah, Gryffindor did okay for most of their games that year. Though, it was close a lot of the time. Ginny admitted that she liked playing Chaser better, and a couple of them were leaving the next year. She made a spot on the team. That was my last year, so I was busy with tests and all. I didn't follow Quidditch as much, though I knew Harry was captain. Someone else can tell you about the team that year. I know we won the cup, though."

"Neat, I will be asking someone at some point. I know any Gryffindor here will probably tell me."

"Yeah." Ethan agreed with a laugh. "The best, however, will probably be to wait until a younger Weasley comes to visit again. It will happen sometime. They'd know best."

The conversation trailed off then as Dudley and Ethan turned to survey the chaos in the 'basement.'

Hestia had already escaped. That much was obvious.

Dedalus was getting hounded about the brooms, it looked like. From the whines that Dudley could hear, some people wanted better ones. Dudley huffed quietly. They should feel lucky they got any brooms at all!

There were several kids swooping around in the air. As much as Dudley had read and heard about flying on brooms, he gaped.

They were _flying_ on _brooms._

Ethan appeared to get his astonishment.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah! Mega cool!" Dudley was still gaping.

"Y'know," Ethan commented causally, "These brooms really have nothing at all on the newer models. And while some of these kids are alright flyers, none were on house teams. And from the current and recent house teams, almost no one was anything compared to Harry."

Dudley just looked at him. He wished that someone had been able to use a video camera on one of his cousin's Quidditch games. They sounded _epic_.

"After this whole things with the war, when you start talking to him again and all, you should watch him fly."

Ethan then wandered away to talk to Justin, as if he hadn't left such a huge comment with Dudley.

Yeah, everyone was hoping the war would be over soon, but people didn't often talk about it so… normally. Like it was days from being peacefully resolved.

_Peacefully._ Dudley almost laughed. Yeah right. This had as much of a chance of being peacefully finished as his dad had of suddenly wanting to be integrated into the magical world.

Some of the kids in the air looked like good flyers, as far as Dudley could tell. They were moving kind of smoothly and during the turns well… compared to the others. The one's wobbling and staying close to the ground, as if afraid of falling off, that is.

Dudley saw Ethan move to talk to Colin Creevey, who then took something that Ethan conjured up with his wand. It was a whistle. Dudley found that out at the same time as everyone else, when Colin blew into it.

_QUAAAACK_

Everyone froze. And in the silence Ethan said,

"Sorry. Must have been a bad transfiguration."

And then, the room erupted into laughter.

"Okay, okay," Colin called out as one of the first to calm, "everyone come over here, before I need to blow the whistle again!"

People kept chuckling and giggling at that, but they all made their way over to the middle of the grass, where Ethan, Colin and Dennis were standing. Dudley noticed that Ethan was blushing a little, but also looked a little proud of himself.

"What did you do?" Dudley whispered to him when he reached his friend.

Ethan looked around suspiciously, before breathing to Dudley, "it sucks to look like I can't do a fifth year transfiguration right, but it was worth it to see the look on Colin's face after that ridiculous nose I woke up with the other day!"

Dudley had to control himself to keep from bursting out in renewed laughter and grabbing the attention of all the _finally_ quieting youngsters.

Ethan's nose—courtesy of Colin—had been impressive. To everyone but Ethan.

Colin spent a little while telling the kids some rules and safety things that Dedalus had told him about. Only a few hours a day would be for flying and Quidditch as well, it seemed. It made sense—some kids wanted to hang out down here and have picnics and such, which would be hard with people diving and balls being thrown all over the place.

Afterwards, when Sally had arranged a group to go with her and write thank you cards (which would be passed around in the game room that night so that everyone could sign them) the group spilt up, after Colin made one more announcement.

"Some people here are interested in learning to fly, or getting more practice. Then, I think we'll see how many people are interested in monthly Quidditch games. We only have one Bludger, so we might have less players, depending on how many people are interested. Some of us who are older will run the lessons, down here on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons from three to five.

"After a few weeks of that, we'll set up a sign up sheet in the game room of all people interested in playing games. Make sure to thank the 'big people', everyone!"

People laughed and headed up the stairs with Colin's dismissing line. That was what kids had taken to calling Sue, Hestia and Dedalus (never mind the fact that more than half the kids were taller than Dedalus, and another portion taller than the women too.)

Dudley followed them up. He might not be able to play Quidditch, but he was sure excited to see a game played!

* * *

><p>A few days later, Dudley saw his mother leaving their rooms again.<p>

"Hey, mum!" He called to her, with a sudden wave of guilt. He saw his mother most nights and mornings, but only for a few minutes. He hoped she wasn't upset. He was that he never saw her anymore.

"Dudley!" His mum called, reaching over to give him a hug. "How are you, popkin?"

"I'm good, mum. I'm making lots of friends."

"Oh, that's my Dudley. I'm glad. And are all the kids nice to you?"

"Yeah, they are. Well…"

"What?" His mother zoned into his hesitation immediately.

"It's no big deal mum. Not at all. They haven't visited for a while, but the Weasleys aren't fond of me."

His mum thought hard. "That… red haired family?" she finally asked.

"Yeah. They seemed to have all but adopted… Harry." He said the name with some hesitation. He had no problem with his cousin—not any more. But his mum hadn't mentioned Harry again since their talk weeks and weeks ago.

"And the youngest boy," he continued when his mum did nothing but straighten a bit and focus more intently on him (a sure sign that she wanted to know more but didn't want to come out and say it) "is Harry's best friend. He's one of the one's on the run with Harry, helping him now. And the youngest kid, a girl, was Harry's girlfriend last year."

"What? He had a girlfriend?"

"Yeah." Dudley couldn't tell what his mum thought of that. She looked… contemplative. "He broke up with her because he thought she'd be in danger with him, cuz he's on that guy's most wanted list, and all." Dudley thought randomly how… odd it was to be explaining wizarding current events and gossip to his mother.

"But many people think Harry still likes her, and I can tell she still likes him."

"'You can tell'? Is she staying here, too?"

"No, she had to go to Hogwarts this year. Even though there are Death Eaters there—the bad guys, mum—all the purebloods had to go. Laws and such now say so. She stayed here back in August, mum. Do you remember? Security was upped when the Magical Ministry fell." Dudley observed with interest that his mum didn't flinch _quite_ so much at the word 'magical', "That happened after her oldest brother's wedding. It was attacked when they were looking for Harry. Ginny was hurt and brought here to recover until they thought it might be safer."

His mum looked thoughtful. "I remember that, vaguely. I didn't see her, though."

"She has a lot of friends here. When it's a little safer, when they're sure no one knows anything about the safe houses, I heard we might get more visitors. Ginny might come back, sometime when she's not at school."

"Yes, well, we'll see. I was going to go see Hestia, dear. Would you like to come?"

Dudley just blinked. He knew his mother and Sue were getting on lately, but last he'd heard Hestia still loathed his parents.

"Hestia, mum?"

"Yes, Sue and I were baking earlier and Hestia came in. We talked for a few moments, and she said she'd like to talk to me later. She'd seen how I've… changed my perspectives, I guess. She said she had something to show me, and talk to me about. We were going to meet in the green room."

His mum looked around then, like she was looking for a signpost. Dudley hid a smile.

"Oh popkin? Do you happen to know where the green room is? Or… what it is?"

Dudley _did_ smile at that, but kindly.

"I'll come with you, mum. The green room is what they're calling the basement, now. I'll show you."

"Oh, thank you darling." From her smile, but confused look, Dudley assumed that she had no idea what to expect in the basement.

If anything else, he was excited to see his mother's reaction to the equivalent of a park under the house.

Magic. What couldn't it do?

* * *

><p>"Duddy? Where are we going?" Dudley just smiled as he bowed his mother through the door to the basement.<p>

"The Green Room, mum." He answered innocently, with a smile. She knew him well enough to raise an eyebrow in question, but without an answer, she just straightened proudly and started stately down the stairs.

Dudley grinned widely, following her down with a hop in his step (he refused to think _skip._ He was a _man_, after all). This would be good.

"Du-dud-duddy? What- what _is_ this?"

"Magic, mum." He stated proudly. When she shot him a pointed look (but he was proud to see that she didn't react in any way to the word) he added, "They magic'd the basement to be like outside as a Christmas gift to all us kids."

"You… you too?" Dudley looked sympathetically at his mum. After her childhood, she was worried about Dudley being included, it seemed.

"Mum, I told you, they totally accept me. And all have some muggle background, so we even have things in common. And they have fun teaching me about their world."

Petunia worked to get her composure, and Dudley pretended to study the ceiling in fascination, giving her a moment to herself.

"So, this was a gift?" He could tell from his mother's voice that she was back to her normal self and he turned back with a soft smile.

"Yeah, mum. They couldn't make the 'sky' change with the outside one—"

"Like the Great Hall…" his mother murmured, but she seemed oblivious that she'd spoken, so Dudley ignored it but for a slight hesitation.

"So, um, they have a box over in the corner that can control weather. And the floor is actual grass and all. And over there—see those hoops?" She looked and nodded. "Those are Quidditch hoops. That's the game played on broomstick."

"Oh!" Petunia looked at the hoops with interest. Dudley thought quickly, then spoke carefully, measuring his words.

"Some of the kids here are practicing and such… and well, they're putting teams together. To you know, play games and all. I'm going to watch one when they start… I'm interested. Do you… I mean if you want… what I'm trying to say is, do you want to watch one with me when they start?"

Dudley fidgeted anxiously while his mother stood silently and motionlessly. Finally, he added in a whisper, "Everyone here reveres Harry's Quidditch skills. They all say he could go pro, if he wanted to."

Petunia got a stubborn, set look on her face that Dudley was happy to see.

The one that she would get on the rare occasions that she'd go against Vernon (and some other times as well. But Dudley was expecting the best, in this situation).

"Yes, Dudley. I would love to see a Quidditch game with you. We can tell Harry about it after this rotten war."

Dudley smiled in surprise at his mother, but before he could comment on her remark, he heard a voice behind him, sounding pleased.

"I'm sure Harry would like that, Petunia." Hestia remarked, and when Dudley turned around, he saw the witch smiling, but looking a little conflicted. "I don't know the boy very well, but from what I hear he's very forgiving. He's a kind soul."

Petunia smiled a little shaky smile to the witch. "I hope so."

After a minute of slightly awkward silence, Hestia spoke up with forced cheerfulness, as if banishing bad thoughts. "Well, I took the liberty of having Mickey and Minnie set up a picnic for tea, if you'd care to join me. It's on the far side of the park, and I made sure that no pesky children would be racing around on their brooms."

Hestia was walking in front of them, leading Dudley and his mum to the blanket he could vaguely spot a good distance away. But Dudley made sure to be watching Petunia's expression, and could see that while she looked a little scared and apprehensive, she was also intensely curious.

"When—when do the children practice on their brooms?" She questioned quietly.

The only sign Dudley got that Hestia was at all surprised by the question was the slight hitch in her step before her walk became fluid again.

"I think there's a schedule upstairs. I could find out and find a time to watch a practice with you, if you'd like. I want to be here the first few times anyway, just in case there are any 'accidents'."

Petunia sent Hestia's back a small smile. "I'd like that, thank you."

* * *

><p>Dudley was getting bored, and though the food was as delicious as always (some of Sue's scones had been included in their basket) he was starting to wish he'd turned down his mum's offer to accompany her.<p>

The conversation had been interesting at first, as Petunia talked to Hestia about the magical world and things that weren't too personal. However, Dudley had learned about most of it weeks ago, if not months. He really didn't want to listen to it all again, though some of it was different from an adults perspective.

But then Hestia started asking question about the muggle—normal—world, and Dudley zoned out. He stared at the blue sky with it's small wisps of clouds floating to and fro and bouncing off of the sides near the walls, and wished that he could fly, too. Maybe there was a special kind of racing broom for muggles. He'd ask, sometime.

It was then that the conversation got interesting, and Dudley zoned in again to his mother, upon hearing her shaky voice (really, he'd never seen his mother so uncertain, so out of her element).

"So, you knew her, then, didn't you? Lily?"

Ah. Dudley had wondered when that would come up. He remembered Hestia talking with Arthur Weasley when he had been eavesdropping his first night in the Manor. Dudley realized his mother must have found out, too.

"Yes," Hestia murmured softly, "I knew her. She was the best friend a girl could have, though I was a year younger than her, so I wasn't her best friend. She was closer to a girl in her year, Alice Longbottom."

"Alice… Alice… that name sounds familiar."

"Yes, Lily's best friend from school. I think they used to spend holidays together, so you may have even met her."

"Hmmm, blonde? Round-ish face? Pretty, a little short, kind of fit?"

"Yes, that sounds like Alice."

"Yes! I do remember her. She and Lily spent hours and hours giggling in her bedroom before her seventh year."

"That would be the year that Alice started dating her husband, Frank. So it makes sense that they'd be giggly. I became closer to Lily that coming year, because she 'couldn't stomach all the kissy-faces!'" Both women laughed at that, and Dudley would have joined in but he was enthralled by all he was learning about his aunt, and he didn't want them to remember him suddenly and become less candid.

"That sounds like Lily." Petunia sighed. "I didn't really know her after she turned twelve or so, though. And I regret it." She looked sad for a moment. Then she perked up. "What ever happened to Alice? You said she got married?"

The sad look reappeared on Hestia's face, and Petunia began to look apprehensive. "Yes, she married Frank Longbottom and they were so happy and in love. They had a little boy who was born the day before Harry. His name is Neville, and he's in Gryffindor too. From what I hear he's one of the leaders this year as he was required to return, being a pureblood. Especially one from an old house.

"Neville was brought up by his grandmother on his father's side." Hestia said in a rushed and pained voice. "His mother and father were tortured into… into insanity by You-Know-Who's followers after Harry defeated him as a baby. They were Aurors—dark wizard catchers—and were respected by the Ministry and many of the Light fighters. Some dark wizards thought they could get information out of poor Alice and Frank. They're still in the hospital, in a ward for permanent brain damage."

Dudley and his mother sat in shocked silence, with tears streaming down Petunia's face. Dudley couldn't imagine that—being able to see and talk to your parents, but them not having any idea who their child was… it was heartbreaking.

"Oh, oh no…" Petunia moaned.

"Oh, cheer up." Hestia said, trying to lighten the mood. "It still brings us all down to talk about those days around the end of the first war, but we need to remember the positive. We had thirteen years of peace after that. And Alice and Frank wouldn't want us to still be mourning their misfortune so many years after it happened. It _was_ sixteen years ago, roughly, after all."

"Yes, yes, you're right." Petunia agreed, wiping her eyes with a napkin from the basket. "Thank you for telling me, though. It makes me feel like I know a little piece of Lily, to hear about her best friend."

"Yes, well, speaking of that… I have something, if you'd like to see it. scrapbook, of sorts, from some of our later years at Hogwarts."

Hestia and Dudley were both looking at his mother at that point, and were able to see the fierce look of hope and desire that she was sporting right then.

"Yes! Oh, that would be wonderful!"

* * *

><p>Dudley stayed long enough to get the gist of the pictures before he left his mother and Hestia to some privacy. They didn't even notice him leave. It didn't bother him.<p>

He walked to the far wall, where a set of moving stairs (like an escalator but with plush, rainbow, color-changing carpeting) led up where a second entrance and exit had been added. It went up several stories, to open into the game room.

As he went up his mind was full of the pictures Hestia had shown them. They were full of a vibrant red-head, who looked nothing like his mum but much like Harry (in the face and eyes particularly) surrounded by friends and amazing scenery (Dudley really had to get to Hogwarts, one of these days. It looked incredible).

Later pictures had a smiling man looking just like Harry, yelling with her, kissing her, holding her, all with a glint in his eye and smile on his face that showed how much he loved her.

And though he'd never given them much thought before, Dudley now thought that he'd missed out on something terrible, never knowing his aunt Lily and uncle James.

Dudley ascended the stairs and pushed through the door, only to get distracted from his thoughts, and be completely and utterly confused on top of it.

The room was in total chaos. It looked like the kids had gotten half way through the decorating that Dudley had been informed they were going to do, only to have it disintegrate into a war, of some kind.

Some of the smarter kids were hiding behind some sideways sofas, and Dudley hurried over, bending to make himself less of a target.

Sally and Ethan were two of the ones watching from a safe location.

"What—happened—here?" Dudley huffed out, crouching next to Ethan and shooting Sally a small smile.

"Well, I think it started when Colin said something about missing having Hermione to help with spells—he and Adam," (another muggle born Colin's age, Dudley thought), "were trying to teach some of the younger kids how to conjure baubles for the walls and tree that we're going to get, and were having trouble explaining. Hermione's great at explanations." Ethan told him.

"So, they decided that because Hermione wasn't here, they should honor her somehow. And in the pathetic way that boys minds work," here Dudley exchanged a glance with Ethan, but frankly, both were too scared of Sally Anne to interrupt and plead their intelligence, "they decided a debate was in order."

Dudley looked around the room, at the destroyed furniture, debris scattered all over, the paint splotches on the walls and floor, the older kids all over the room, wands out, clothes messy beyond even magical repair, and, inexplicably, the younger kids zooming magically around the room.

"Ummm… is this… normal… for magical debates?" Dudley asked finally.

"NO! Thank Merlin." Sally exclaimed, while Ethan looked like he was hiding a smile and snicker from her. "_This_ is what happens when Adam and Colin decide that one thinks the levitation charm is best, and one thinks the summoning charm is. And then to prove it then move things all over the room, destroying it and somehow conjuring _paint_. And _then_, after all that, move to the only things left—the little kids!"  
>Now Ethan couldn't help it—he burst out laughing. And that was the last straw for Dudley who soon joined him in hysterics.<p>

"Now, you two! You can't be like this—those are innocent kids!"

"Sally," Ethan pleaded through his tears, "look at them! They're having a blast!"

It was true, Dudley saw, peering past a couch arm. The kids out there looked ecstatic. The others—the ones he supposed wouldn't like being levitated around a room—were behind and underneath furniture.

But before Sally could do anything else to Ethan, the door to the room from the hallway burst open.

"Just _what_ is going on in here?" Hestia burst out, before she actually took stock of the room.

She looked around slowly, and just as slowly kids were being placed gently on the floor again, to many looks of disappointment all around. Dedalus—standing behind Hestia—looked to be trying to control his smile.

"_So_?" Hestia demanded.

"Ummm." Colin stammered, "Me-Merry Christmas?" He offered.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thank you for reading! I hope that you enjoyed it. :)**_

_**Please leave me a quick reveiw telling me what you thought. I'm sorry if this one wasn't as well edited as the others- I was having a hard time with it, and it was written in incriments. I did try my best- promise!**_

_**Anyway, next chapter will fast forward to Christmas. Now, will it be a happy or sad one? Only time can tell! Or, a fanfiction author.  
><strong>_

_**-Books **_


	9. Christmas Eve: Fifth Year? With Ginny?

_**A/N: Okay, so it hasn't been very long, but this chapter wanted to be written, so I hope you all appreciate it!**_

_**I really meant to make the holidays one chapter, but as has been happening all this story, things just won't stay contained the way I want! So, Christmas will be two chapters. I hope you're all happy! :)**_

_**So, one **_**WARNING****: _There are a couple of 'bad words' in here. I'm not one for cursing, but I think everyone agrees that Umbridge deserves it. Is that so? It's used in book seven, so I figure anyone who's read that (and I assume everyone who's reading this version of the book has read Deathly Hallows) would be okay._**

**_Um, I have two anonymous reviewers who I'd like to respond to, as I couldn't PM them and I want to give them the same courtesy as my other reviewers. So, that will be at the end. Just to let you know._**

**_Thank you to all reviewers, and people who alerted and favorited me! It really makes my day to see all of those notices in my inbox. So, thank you thank you thank you. They make my day and inspire me so much._**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just wish I did.<strong>

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><p>It was Christmas Eve. Finally.<p>

Dudley couldn't remember ever actually being this excited for the holiday before. Sure, he'd been piled high with presents and heavy food and his parents' attention for his whole life, but this whole ordeal and threat on his life had taught him one thing at least:

None of his priorities before in his life had made much sense.

Yes, for this holiday season he'd be in hiding from a dangerous enemy. But he also had a mother that he'd been getting along with better than he could ever remember, friends who actually _liked_ him, and wanted to spend time with him, good food and laughter promised by all, and best of all, it would be literally _magical_.

Yes, Dudley couldn't wait.

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><p>There had been a Potterwatch episode a couple of days ago, and while it had been as dismal and depressing as they normally were (through no lack of trying to lighten them up by a certain set of twins) at least nothing major was reported. So, no one felt any need to lessen the festivities. They wouldn't allow Lord Voldemort to not let them make best of the holiday.<p>

Dudley wondered briefly where Harry was. He surely wasn't going to have presents and a home cooked meal. Dudley just hoped that at least him and his friends could have a break of some kind, a reward for the holiday.

He hoped Harry was safe for Christmas, at least.

Wandering downstairs Dudley looked around at the decorations, as amazed as he had been when they were put up.

There was a layer of fake snow covering all the railings and chandeliers, mistletoe and holly strung from every surface, baubles strung from the ceilings, and soft carols in the air all around.

Added to that were the fully-decorated trees in every room that was used frequently: the dining room, the sitting rooms, the game room, most of the bedrooms (the Dursleys had been offered one, but Petunia declined out of fear of her husband reacting), even the kitchen! And Dedalus had taught the students a spell and then helped them grow a temporary evergreen out of the floor of the basement! It was in a corner out of the way of the Quidditch pitch, and was absolutely amazing.

Dudley had been levitated so that he could put the angel on the top. He'd never been prouder than when they were all cheering for him, even if he had felt like a toddler again.

Dudley had just entered the game room when he beheld the argument taking place inside.

And it was with three voices that Dudley hadn't heard in quite some time.

Not wanting to disturb whatever was going on, Dudley slunk through the door using his newfound stealth skills (he and Ethan were preparing in case they ever had to spy on the adults. Plus, they were bored witless one day) to slip down onto the couch where Ethan was sitting.

All the kids looked like they'd been in the middle of games and chatting happily when this had broken out, and since they'd been forgotten, they'd just turned very quiet.

Dudley looked at Ethan for explanation. The boy breathed the answer in his ear, very careful not to let the three furious-looking people standing in the middle of the room hear him.

"She was supposed to just be brought here for the evening to relax and visit, but they dropped on her about five minutes ago that she'd be here for the next couple days. She wants to spend the time, understandably, with her family. It _is_ Christmas, after all."

Dudley nodded in understanding. Whoever had thought to spring a surprise on Ginny Weasley like that was an idiot.

So apparently, the Weasley twins.

"No! No, no!" She sounded desperate now. "I want to be home with mum and dad! This is the first I've seen them all term and I don't want to be held here!"

"C'mon, Gin," one tried, "it's not like it's prison!"

"It will be if I'm held here against my will!" She pointed out. "C'mon, Fred, George, it's Christmas. Mum doesn't have anyone with her. Percy's an idiot, Charlie's only able to come around day after tomorrow cause of some mission, Bill and Fleur decided to have the holiday alone, something I _cannot_ understand, Ron is who knows where, and… well, then there's you!"

"Something wrong with us?" The twins asked in unison, but even Dudley could tell it was halfhearted. Their sister had gotten through to them.

They sighed as one. "How about this, Gin: I'll talk to Hestia and George will pop back home to mum and dad. We'll see if they can join us here for the remainder of the holiday. If it's safe enough, we'll invite Tonks and Remus too."

"Really?" Ginny looked at him hopefully with wet eyes, and Dudley noticed for the first time how _old_ her eyes looked. Not like the other teenagers, being uprooted in the war, and not even like the change that Dudley had seen so long ago in the Weasley twins, the growing up bit.

Her eyes looked like… oh. Like Harry's.

It might have been that story about the Chamber when she was eleven, or maybe something she'd been mixed up in since, or maybe it came from loving someone like Harry, and not knowing where or how he was on Christmas.

But Ginny Weasley had old eyes.

"Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks guys." She told her brothers quietly. They both gave her understanding and sympathetic looks and turned together towards the door.

"Sure thing, Gin."

Then they were gone, and Ginny Weasley turned sheepishly to the rest of the room.

"Sorry about that."

"No need." Colin waved it away with a hand as he slung an arm over Ginny's shoulders. "You haven't been yourself today, and we were getting a little worried. But we haven't seen you like _that_ since one of your and Ron's blow-ups last year, about Dean and Harry and whatnot. So, I'd say we're relived."

So, Ginny had been there all day, Dudley thought as he watched Ginny laugh with Colin. He'd spent it with his mother, avoiding his dad. Something, he knew, that wouldn't be possible much longer. And he didn't want his mum to take responsibility.

He watched as the room returned to normal for the evening hang out, and watched Ginny and Colin become surrounded by people. He wasn't sure that he'd be welcome.

"Dud!" He heard Justin call, "Get over here!"

So, maybe he was welcome.

Dudley wandered over to sit on the floor in a space they'd made for him. "Hey everyone, hello Ginny." He greeted her, sending a small smile over. She looked contemplative, but answered politely.

"Hello, Dudley. It's nice to see you in good health." He could see her jaw tighten and somehow understood that she meant it kindly and honestly, but he was another reminder of Harry and how _not_ in good health his cousin might be.

He let it go. "How have you been, Ginny?" He asked, belatedly noticing the bruises and cuts on Ginny's arms and face, and the tired bags hanging under her eyes.

"Oh," she breathed, "as well as can be expected. I'm getting a bit beat up in detention, but I'm just trying to protect the younger students."

"What's it like?" One kid whispered, obviously afraid of asking any louder.

"Not good." Ginny said grimly. "But we're hanging on. I'd rather not talk about it now, you'll understand. It _is_ Christmas Eve."

"Of course, Ginny." Justin replied, sending out glares as if to warn anyone about upsetting Ginny. She just laughed.

"I can tell you, however, that Neville says hello and Luna would, but she was taken off the train on our way here."

"_What_?" Was the general outcry, though Dudley didn't have a clue as to who 'Luna' was, or this Neville, for that matter.

"Yes, we can only hope she's alright. I have no idea at all where she is or who she's with. But you all know Luna—she wouldn't want us to be worrying about her."

"True enough," Someone murmured, and suddenly the room was full of chuckles and giggles. Dudley could see from the look on Ginny's face, however, that she was fiercely worried. She was just trying to prevent her friends from feeling the same and ruining their holiday.

"I feel like I'm missing something." Dudley told Ethan as he gestured at the chortling students.

"You are, but you need to meet Luna to understand. She's a Ravenclaw two years younger than I am, and no one can describe her. Trust me."

Dudley nodded in agreement.

"Also," Ginny said as people calmed down, "I am pleased to tell you that the DA has started up again."

There was silence, and then outcry. Half the people seemed ecstatic, and the other half enormously confused.

Where had he heard that term before? Oh yes—in relation to Dean and Colin. That was right. What was it? Dudley didn't think he'd ever found out.

"Um, Ginny?" Justin ventured, and everyone fell silent to listen, "I don't think that everyone knows what the DA _is_."

"I don't think I ever heard," Ethan contributed, "But is it something in relation to Harry's fifth year? Because we haven't talked about that one yet, but I seem to associate the 'DA' with that year."

"Yeah!"

"It is!"

"How about our great escape? That was the best part, right?"

And just like that, the Weasley twins were back.

"Oh, it was."

"For sure!"

Dudley didn't know what was going on, by this point.

"Okay, okay," Ginny laughed, "let's get some order in here, and then we'll all explain. But first, what's happening with mum and dad?"

"They and Remus and Tonks have been contacted, and it was 'deemed' safe enough for them to all join us. There's been no activity in this part of the country, good or bad, for several weeks. They'll arrive late tonight, and stay for the rest of the week."

"Oh, _thank you!_" Ginny jumped up and leapt at her brothers with a hug. They laughed and complied, before setting her down on the floor again, and sprawling out near her.

"Now, what's this about ickle-Harrykins fifth year at our delightful institution?"

Dudley rolled his eyes with a snort. They were something else.

"We've been sharing the stories of Harry's years at Hogwarts." Ethan told them. "They make fine tales, really, and Dudley didn't know about them." The twins looked at him, and though it wasn't friendly, at least it wasn't hostile. Ethan continued, ignoring them, "But not many of us are that close to Harry. And he withdrew even more his fifth year, from what I could tell. It'll be nice to have you guys. Even his dorm mates didn't even know him! You guys are like his family, though."

"Yeah, we are," Fred sighed dreamily, only to burst out laughing when his eyes met George-the-ear-less's. Honestly. Dudley had thought they played up their silliness for the radio. Apparently not.

"Even Dean didn't know much." Dennis offered.

That shut the Weasleys up.

"Dean?" Ginny asked frantically, "Dean Thomas?"

"Yeah," Colin answered in slight confusion, "He was here with Ted Tonks a while back. They left to go to another safe location."

"Oh, good." Ginny sighed. Dudley remembered what he'd heard about the two of them dating a while back, but ignored any idea that Ginny was still held up on him. After all, she was allowed friends, and everyone on the same side worried about each other in this war.

"I hadn't heard what happened to him, is all. He was one of the only muggleborns in Gryffindor that I was… uncertain about."

_Uncertain_. Dudley gulped. She'd thought he might be dead.

Fred and George obviously understood.

"Enough about this! So, are we up to Harry's fifth year, then?"

"Yes." Ethan answered with a slight smile. "Who knows how that one even starts? And ends? And who knows the middle?"

"Well, I supposed us three Weasleys know the beginning," Fred answered looking thoughtful and serious, "and most of the middle. Any DA member—which we will explain! Don't fuss so!—will know some of that. I think of the people here, though, only Ginny knows the end."

Everyone turned to her. She gulped. "I wasn't conscious for all of it." She stated quietly, and Dudley groaned internally. It was another of _those_ ends to Harry's year. "But I can tell what I know."

"Excellent! Shall Fred and I start?"

Everyone nodded. As the twins started talking—at least only switching after full sentences— Dudley tried to keep track of who was who. But he couldn't see the sides of their heads, and they kept moving, so finally he gave up.

"That year started with the Dementors, really, during summer vacation." Dudley shivered at that and saw Ethan and Sally look at him with concern, but kept his attention on the twins. This was about Harry. He'd hardly paid him any concern at the time. He'd make up for it now.

"See, Harry had to use magic to save himself, which meant early removal from his relatives' house that summer." There were brief flicks of eyes to Dudley, but he ignored them and soon all attention turned to the twins again. "He was brought to our family, who was staying at the current headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. I assume everyone knows what that is by now?"

There were nodding heads all around. Ginny sent the twins a small smile. "They also know the truth about the owner of said headquarters." She said rather cryptically. The twins smirked.

"Ahh. We see. That makes that simpler."

Dudley wondered if it was a Weasley trait to be able to be so infuriatingly vague.

"Anyway, this headquarters was donated to Dumbledore by none other than Harry's godfather, the notorious Sirius Black!" No one made any sound, but many 'duh!' faces were sent to the twins. It wasn't that fantastic to them all anymore, after all.

He (whichever it was) humphed a little, and his brother took up the story.

"It was creepy staying there, because the Blacks are an old, dark, pureblood family, and there were all kinds of dangerous objects around."

"Perfect for experimenting!" It was completely obvious that neither twin had found the experience 'creepy'.

"So when Harry got there we fell into a pattern of sorts for the days, all of us staying there, cleaning, cooking, eating, listening in on meetings…"

"And then came the day that Harry had to go into work with dad…"

They continued with their tale, and both were, as Dudley could have guessed, rather impressive storytellers.

They, and Ginny, reenacted the chant from the night of Harry's trial. They went into some detail of the awarding of the Prefects badges, taking the time to take the mickey out on Ron (though Dudley could tell it was in brotherly fun, and they were clearly worried about him).

Soon it came time for Hogwarts, and Dudley didn't like all that he heard. For instance, that Umbridge person. Sure, there'd always been dangerous stuff for Harry at school in the past, but from the voices and the expressions of the people all around the room, that woman had turned a safe haven for many (including Harry) into a bad, bad place.

"She is a total _bitch_," Ginny seethed, not worrying about her language, "I swear she is evil incarnate. I don't care if she doesn't have a stupid skull and snake tattoo on her forearm—she should be a Death Eater!" Dudley had read about these 'Dark Marks' and they sounded like brands to him. Were all these purebloods really too stupid to realize they were slaves to a madman?

"She passed so many of those '_Educational_ _Decrees'_," Colin added in disgust, "like the one where students couldn't even talk to a teacher when it wasn't about class."

"Or the one where she could fire teachers after investigating them."

"How about the one where she had say over all of our punishments?"

"That's what got me and Fred kicked off the team!"

Dudley wanted to ask what that was about, but people were still calling things out, and he figured the twins would go into detail later on.

"How about the one where she closed down every 'group'?"

That one brought more shouts.

"It took us five days to reinstate our Quidditch team!"

"You think that was bad? She kept Gryffindor waiting for the longest time of all _four_ houses!"

"Of course _Slytherin_ was given permission almost immediately!"

"The gobstones club was deemed 'infantile', and we had to go to Dumbledore so he could ask her to reconsider."

"The Charms club was only left because of Professor Flitwick—I think she was scared of him for some reason!"

"That's nothing," Colin Creevey announced, his voice drawing everyone's attention as the rest of the kids shut up, "to what the DA had to go through."

There was silence. Dudley saw some people exchange glances.

"Of course," Fred drawled (Dudley could see both ears), "that might be because it's the DA's fault she shut down groups in the first place, after she found out about us."

There was instant pandemonium again, until Justin made himself heard. "QUIET! Thank you." Justin was always heard, but never loud, if that made sense. Him shouting had made people listen. "Right. Now, who here was in the DA?"

They made the people in this top-secret group move to one side of the circle. In it were all three Weasleys, the Creeveys, and Justin. Not very many people, Dudley thought.

"You see," the twins continued, "there were less than thirty people in the DA in all. The whole idea for this illustrious group was started by our esteemed, extraordinary educator himself, Harry Potter."

There were cheers until people started noticing Ginny's eye rolling and head shaking.

"Gin?" Her brothers questioned.

"Maybe your brains were too rattled by your inventions that year to pay attention, or else your experiments since have caused you memory loss, but Harry was very against the idea at first, and he made sure everyone knew it."

"That's right!" Justin cut in. "Our first meeting to share information was at the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade, and Harry made Hermione talk first and glared at her a lot. The amount of people who showed up seemed to startle and upset him, and he tried to tell us that he hadn't done everything he had alone."

"He didn't think he was amazing at all." Was Colin jutting in with a contemplative air. "He didn't let Hermione say that the group was his idea, and he seemed kind of grudging for the first bit."

"Yeah, that's what I mean." Ginny told them. "I heard Harry talking with Ron and Hermione early on, and Hermione pushed the idea on him. Ron only agreed with her completely once he was sure Harry wouldn't blow up at them."

"Harry has a temper?" Sally asked innocently. Dudley figured that it was a reasonable question. After all, Harry was always even tempered during the summers, except when the situation more than deserved it, like when he and Dudley had been attacked, or when Aunt Marge was badmouthing Aunt Lily and Uncle James, or when he was locked in that cupboard… yeah. Many times his temper was deserved. But when it wasn't, he was really quiet and stayed out of the way… calm. That was how Dudley tended to remember his cousin. Calm and in control.

Which was why it was such a big shock (to Dudley and the rest of the room) when Ginny and the twins exchanged one look, and then all burst into laughter.

"Huh?" Colin asked. "I mean, there's been shouting before in the common room, but only for big things. Harry has a temper?"

"Yeah, you could say that." George said conversationally. "I mean, yes, he normally has a reason to shout, but it could be something reasonably small, and you never know when he's going to blow!"

There were little chuckles. "Yeah, but I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea," Ginny said softly, but with enough force to draw everyone's attention, "about Harry or his connection to the DA. He has a temper, but he's also sweet, considerate, and passionately defends anyone he deems worthy—so for him, anyone short of Death Eaters, You-Know-Who, and some certain Ministry employees."

People laughed shortly, keeping their eyes on Ginny with intense interest. "And Harry grew to love the DA so, so much. He told me that it was his way of fighting Umbridge, and when she'd start in on calling him an 'attention seeking liar' in class," there were outbreaks of outraged hisses as people heard this, "he said it was the only way to 'smile blandly to her toad-like face', his words, while doing something to make a difference.

"Every time that Neville perfected a spell, one of the younger students learned something two levels up from them, someone successfully disarmed Hermione," people laughed some more, Dudley included, "Harry felt such intense pride in all of us. He was the most amazing teacher."

"He really was." All of the DA students in the room agreed. Dudley was still marveling at the idea of _Harry_ as a _teacher_.

"Y'know." A twin said, "Harry could apply for the DADA position after this war, if he wants it. I know he could work at the Ministry,"

"Auror,"

"Quidditch player,"

"Or anything else, seeing as he is,"

"The-Boy-Who-Lived,"

"But he'd make an incredible teacher."

"And he'd finally be in a safe career." Ginny added.

"It seems like the career of 'student' wasn't very safe for him." Dudley commented quietly, the first that he'd spoken to the whole group. Everyone looked to him in silence, and he flushed with embarrassment.

"Yes, Dudley, that's very true." Ginny agreed quietly. "Harry has been let down badly by all the adults in his life thus far." Dudley knew without her saying that she was including his parents in that category, and he agreed with her. But for the first time, he was daring to hope that Ginny was beginning to see that Dudley was just an extension of his parents' attitude, and what they taught him.

Something that he regretted strongly.

The twins took over the conversation, telling riveting tales of DA meetings and the fun that they had, how much they learned, how everyone's abilities and confidences grew enormously that year.

"He was the best teacher since Professor Lupin." Someone commented, and it was agreed between the DA.

The DA members took turns adding to the commentary and the twins took opportunities to tell about the rest of the year too, jumping around a little which was different than other years that Dudley had been told, but appropriate for the twins' style of storytelling.

"After Malfoy said that, it was over," a twin said, talking about the fateful Quidditch match of Harry's fifth year, "He was holding me,"

"No it was me!"

"I'm pretty sure it was me…"

"Either way," Ginny cut in, "He was holding one who he then let go of to rush Malfoy."

Everyone groaned as one, even the people who had witnessed it two years ago.

The twins started up again. "Because of one of 'Umbitch's' new rules," people laughed at the twins' wordplay, "she could choose our punishments."

"And it was bye-bye Quidditch team." They finished together in mournful tones.

The went on, talking about how dark things had become until the end of the year.

"Gin?" She was asked in soft tones. She looked up and started without introduction.

"I don't know exactly what happened. Harry had been in an exam, but I think his mental connection to You-Know-Who started up. They were connected somehow through Harry's scar. I don't know any more than you all do, really. After all, I think all of Gryffindor tower heard his visions at night at one time or another."

"Oh," said Ethan softly, "I thought those were really bad nightmares."

"Some might have been," Ginny admitted softly, "but he got visions sometimes, too.

"He got one that Sirius was being held and tortured somewhere at the Ministry, somewhere that Harry had been dreaming about a lot beforehand. They figured that You-Know-Who was obsessing over the place, so Harry dreamed about it.

"Harry got in contact with Headquarters—long story—and was told Sirius was at the Ministry—another long story."

Ginny then told about how she, the trio of friends, Neville and Luna had gotten captured by Slytherins and Umbridge. After Hermione and Harry left (with what sounded like an excellent and brilliant tactic by Hermione!) Ginny explained how they'd gotten free and escaped the students holding them, with what seemed like a lot of what Harry had taught them.

Dudley was getting more and more impressed with his cousin and his friends by the minute.

The thestrals sounded scary but pretty neat. According to Ginny, although she could see them now (something her brothers seemed sad at, and Dudley agreed after hearing how one saw a thestral), it had been frightening to fly one something she couldn't see at the time.

She described the battle at the Ministry, in the top-secret department that all the students seemed interested in (at least the ones who knew more about the Ministry). By the end she was even more subdued and looked wet-eyed. She didn't cry, though.

"My ankle was throbbing and twisted in some weird angle. At the same time I was so frustrated that I couldn't do anything to help and I was in some major shock. I was worried about Ron, as I had never seen someone _confounded_ so thoroughly and the whole ordeal with the brain was dangerous, and Luna and Hermione were both out for the count. We had no idea what was wrong with Hermione, and Luna was hit with too many _stunners_ for me to be comfortable.

"Next thing I knew, I had been _stunned_ too. When I woke we were all alone and Harry and Neville were missing. I was relieved that Harry wasn't by himself, but still in pain and worried crazy about both of them. Luna and Hermione were still out, and luckily Ron wasn't damaged at all by the brain, that was evident, and he wasn't causing more trouble. There were no Death Eaters. Everything seemed okay for the moment."

"But?" Someone asked quietly. There was always a 'but'. Besides, Dudley had heard the tone at the end of Ginny's thought as well— despondence.

"But," she agreed, "then a blur comes through cackling evilly, and I recognized Bellatrix Lestrange." Everyone hissed. For those who hadn't know, Ginny had told them about her when she had described the main bad guys who cornered them in the prophecy room. "And behind her was an enraged and scary-looking Harry. I didn't know what was going on, and he didn't react at all when I called out to him."

Now it looked like Ginny was starting to cry a little. "Neville and Remus came in soon after, followed by some of the Order members who didn't have to be carted to the hospital. They explained that no one would be permanently hurt, from what they could tell after sending Hermione and Ron back to Hogwarts with an Order member, as the worst hurt. Remus took the rest of us back.

"He told us about Sirius. Bellatrix killed him and Harry, poor Harry, lost the one person he thought would turn into that father figure he really wanted and needed. My dad wasn't enough, as much as he cared for Harry. But Sirius loved him so much, and Harry felt the same.

"We know pretty much what happened after. Harry confronted Bellatrix. You-Know-Who showed up, then Dumbledore. There was apparently a very impressive duel that the Minister and some others witnessed, and they couldn't deny that _he_ had come back.

"So, something good came out of it all."

There was quiet as everyone digested this. Dudley felt even more horrible as he remembered back to how Harry had behaved that next summer. He'd been withdrawn and sullen. He'd been grieving, but he couldn't count on his so-called 'family' to support him.

Wow. No wonder the guy couldn't wait to leave every summer.

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><p><em><strong>AN: So, what do y'all think? Good?**_

_**Please review. I'll really, really appreciate it!**_

_**I meant to have a lot more in this chapter, but as you can see, the tellings of the years take up a lot of space and time. One of the reasons I keep from doing them every chapter. So, everything else will be in the next chapter. Thank you for reading!**_

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><p><strong>Now, anonymous reviewers!<strong>

**To: Maddie- Thank you for reviewing! Yes, I realize that I've been avoiding Vernon a little. I think personally, I'm a little scared to confront him (he is very intimidating!). However, I was going to have a confrontation on Christmas. As you can see, I didn't make it that far this chapter (oops). So, it will be next chapter, then. I won't say much, just that it involves Dudley, and soon after, Ginny will get involved! And we all know how protective she is of Harry! ;)**

**To: Christina- Thank you as well for reviewing! I really makes me day. :) I want you to know, that there's no pointless reviews. All of them make my day to read, just as it makes your day to read the story. So, please review anytime you'd like, with questions or comments or anything else. It makes ME really happy. **

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><p><em><strong>So, thats all! Thank you to everyone who's helping make this a success for supporting me and inspiring me through insightful comments. This FF community means the world to me. :)<strong>_

_**-Books101**_


	10. Christmas and a Confrontation

_**A/N:**_

_**Hey all! So, long time no see. I'm really, very sorry about that. I really hate when people give a list of excuses, so I am merely going to say that life got away from me, as did this story. I am very sorry about that.**_

**_I don't give promises I can't keep, but I will say this. I promise to TRY my hardest not to let this happen again. School has been keeping me busy, but I will try my hardest to keep me updates much more regular._**

**_I need to thank some people. First of all, my reviewers. Every single one of you- Thank You, from the bottom of my heart. I know somewhere around the start of winter I stopped replying to reviews, something I had promised myself that I would never do. I want to apologize for that. I swear, every single review I received was cherished, and I'm sorry if I never replied to tell you that._**

**_I will make the biggest effort to reply to every review from this chapter. Promise._**

**_Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through this months long break. I understand if people have left, but anyone still reading, this is for you! Thank you for believing in me. :)_**

**_Another thank you to _Kicon_. This reviewer sent a note the other day that was just so sweet and supportive, and that somehow just jumpstarted me. You are probably the reason this chapter was finished._**

**_And lastly, to my sister, _Lollypops101_, who lets me read to her, harp to her, rant to her, etc. She's also a large reason why this chapter was ever finished._**

**_Okay, that is all I had to say. Thank you for reading this... long Author's Note, and enjoy the chapter!_**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, as much I would like to. The characters and ideas that are familar are property of the amazing JK Rowling. I am merely borrowing them for a bit. Her name will be the one remembered through history.<strong>

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><p>Despite the slightly dismal air that Christmas Eve had ended on, the teens were still in good enough moods by the time they went to bed. After all, the next day was Christmas. There were sure to be gifts, good food, and the elder Weasleys and the Lupins were going to be coming!<p>

Dudley went to bed before midnight, sending one last, silent wish of a good, safe Christmas to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

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><p>The next morning, Dudley woke in a really good mood. He knew he needed to greet his parents, but it was barely dawn. They weren't awake yet, and Dudley knew his friends would be. He couldn't wait any longer, as the magic of Christmas that he hadn't felt in years was coming back.<p>

Racing downstairs, Dudley hurdled his way to the basement, where everyone had made plans to meet.

"Dudley!"

"Hey, D!"

"Hello Dudley!"

There were shouts from all over, and Dudley looked around to see that people were spread out, waiting for the sun to come up. Of course, they couldn't see the sun from the Quidditch pitch, but they were keeping an eye on the time.

Hestia, according to the Creevey brothers, had threatened the children with no Christmas sweets if they woke her before sunrise. Since Colin and Dennis weren't ones to joke about something like that, everyone had believed them.

"Hi, there!" Dudley replied to everyone.

There were several younger children, from the eleven year olds to some fourteen year olds, spread out on blankets under the tree in the far corner. Dudley could see some older girls braiding hair, and even from the other side of the room he could see the sparks from an exploding snap game.

He decided to stay away from there. That game and him hadn't interacted so well. It would be safer for him to stick to... non-explosive games.

He could see the Creevey brothers on brooms, along with Ethan, the three Weasleys, and about a half dozen other kids. Dudley couldn't ride a broom, but when Ethan made to land, Dudley waved him back.

"No, enjoy! I'll see you when you're done."

He got a skeptical look in return. "Y'sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright. Happy Christmas, mate!"

Then Ethan spun away, to grab a Quaffle from Dennis Creevey's unsteady grip. "You too!" Dudley responded.

As he walked across the room, Dudley was glad to see that there were no bludgers in play. In truth, there were only supposed to be when an adult was there to supervise, and when there were 'official' practices and games. No one would admit to it (of course) but the rule had been broken many times. As well as many bones having been broken. Luckily, Sue was an expert at fixing injuries like the ones caused by Quidditch games.

"Hello, Dudley. Happy Christmas!" Dudley was headed over to the stands along one wall, where he could see Sally sitting with a few of her friends. They were drinking hot chocolate that must have been supplied by the elves, and Dudley could see lots of giggling and smiles as he approached them. It was nice; normal. They could pretend that the war wasn't happening, at least for one day.

"Same to you, Sally. Good morning. How are you?"

"I'm well, thanks," she replied, and Dudley could see a small blush start on her cheeks.

He stopped in front of the bleachers, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. One girl with black curls whispered something to a brunette next to her, and both burst out in laughter. Dudley flushed a little.

"Happy Christmas to all of you, too." Dudley said, belatedly remembering his manners.

"You too."

"Thanks!"

"Happy Christmas, Dudley."

Well, even if he would never understand girls and their infernal giggles, at least they were kind to his face.

"Would you like to take these dishes up to the kitchen with me?" Sally asked suddenly. She was gesturing to a small stack on plates with crumbs and cups with dried chocolate rings on the insides.

Dudley was relieved at the excuse to leave.

"Yeah, alright then." He agreed, grabbing one stack and waiting for her to get the other one and join him on the ground.

"I'll be back soon," she assured her friends, who all waved goodbye while carrying on their conversations.

It was slightly awkward on the way to the stairs, both of them not saying anything. Dudley took the opportunity to observe her out of the corner of his eyes. She looked exceptionally pretty today, with her brown hair curled slightly down her back, held back only with a red headband. She was wearing a new outfit for the holiday, as the adults who visited the manor had helped collect for the teenage girls. They had figured (correctly, from what Dudley had seen) that the girls could use the cheering up during the holiday season.

She was wearing a red, plaid skirt with a pretty white blouse. Her earrings were silver bells that made a pretty chiming sound when she shook her hair back, and her eyes were bright and happy as she smiled shyly over at him.

She was probably the prettiest girl that he'd ever seen.

"Thanks, for this," she finally broke their silence as they entered the kitchen and dropped the dishes in a sink, for the elves to clean later.

"Oh yeah, of course. It was no problem," Dudley assured her, and as they stood uncertainly for a moment, he blurted out, "I—I got something, for you, that is. Um... for Christmas?" He flushed, fully aware that he most likely sounded like an idiot. But as it was too late to take back his words, he pulled a poorly wrapped box out of his pocket, and thrust it at Sally. "Happy Christmas."

"Oh Dudley, thank you," Sally looked up at him with wide, slightly wet eyes. "I'm so sorry, I don't have anything for you!"

"No, no, don't worry about that!" Dudley hastened to assure her. He didn't like her to sound so unhappy, especially when she'd been having such a good morning before. "This isn't such a big deal either, but it was something that I thought you might like. I know that most people weren't worrying about gifts, here, because of... you know... obvious reasons..."

_Right, good move Dudley. Remind her about the deadly war going on in the world outside our safe little haven..._

But Sally didn't seem to mind. "Well, thank you again, Dudley." He just looked at her, and then cleared his throat pointedly, looking at the package now held in her hand. "Oh, of course!" She blushed. "Sorry."

Dudley didn't say anything, just watched anxiously as she opened the crinkled and ripped paper to reveal a small, cardboard box. He held his breath as she opened it.

"Oh, Dudley! It's beautiful!" She gasped, and he let out a relieved breath as he heard the truth in her voice. "However did you get it?" She held up the gift, and he looked at it again.

On a thin, leather cord dyed a light brown, there hung a small sunflower charm, not much bigger than his thumbnail. It had been painted the appropriate colors.

Dudley had chosen the sunflower because there were some in the conservatory. In fact, there had been some directly in front of them when Dudley and Sally had talked there before. And he had pointed them out to her when they walked around.

"Um... Dedalus was showing me how to carve and whittle wood," Dudley finally admitted in a mutter, embarrassed. "It's a good hobby to learn, when in hiding and all," that got a smile out of her. "And then I just painted it, and Sue helped me find the cord... it wasn't too hard."

"You—you made this for me?"

"Um... yeah?" Dudley wasn't sure what she was looking for in an answer there. "I know that sunflowers are supposed to convey warmth, right? Like the sun? And we don't get a lot of that here, but I thought it was kind of symbolic, and we need some happiness, you know? And—"

But then he was cut off as the most unexpected and amazing thing in the world happened.

Sally kissed him.

Sally-Anne Perks kissed _him,_ Dudley Dursley.

Unexpectedly. On the lips.

After a moment of surprise, Dudley hurriedly kissed her back, moving a hand to her waist, and another to the side of her face.

_Merlin_ (and he was really spending too much time with wizards) she tasted_ amazing_. Like hot chocolate and roses and sunshine. And her hair was so soft and her lips so smooth, and—

Then, suddenly, her lips were gone. Dudley opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) to see her staring at him, wide-eyed, but with a large grin on her face.

He was still too stunned to do more than blink at her.

Although he was pretty sure he was smiling too.

"Thank you for the necklace," she said quickly, and then with a peck to his cheek, so quickly and lightly he was almost sure he had missed it, she was gone. The kitchen door swung shut behind her, and Dudley was all alone in the kitchen, grinning stupidly to himself.

* * *

><p>It was barely a half an hour later that Dudley was standing outside the door to his parents' rooms. Of course, they were technically his too, but he didn't do more than sleep there. And honestly, he wasn't so sure that he wanted to continue doing that, and keep having to sneak in and out. Ethan and some other boys had a dorm-like room that they shared, and they'd told Dudley he was always welcomed a spot in it. He thanked them, and said he'd let them know.<p>

It all depended on the confrontation with his father that he knew was coming. Dudley would wait until after the holidays, as to keep his mum from having her holiday ruined. However, it was certainly beyond time. Dudley had been a coward, avoiding his father.

Of course, he needed to get into the room now. After leaving the kitchen, Dudley hadn't wanted to go downstairs and be pestered by his friends about Sally. He definitely wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off of her, if he was near her. Besides, Hestia, Sue and Dedalus would be getting up, which meant Christmas brunch would be served soon. As Petunia had been invited, Dudley decided that he would walk her down. He'd been working hard all week on her present, and wanted to give it to her before they went to join the chaos.

"Mum?" He called quietly as he opened the door and crept in. "Mum? Are you here?" He closed the door behind himself.

"Dudley!" She was coming out of the loo, to join him in the living room. "Oh, it's good to see you." She kissed his cheek, and he let her. He felt bad at seeing how pleased him mum was at the simple interaction. He shouldn't avoid their flat—and her—so much, maybe.

"You too, mum. I wanted to give you something before we go down and join everyone."

"Oh, Dudley. You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to." Apparently his mum didn't have anything to say to that. Whether because it was just a basic fact and had no argument, or because Petunia Dursley would always be incapable of depriving her son of what he wanted, Dudley didn't know. In any case, he made a quick trip to his room and came back with a small package.

"Happy Christmas, mum."

His mum's gift was similar to Sally's in the fact that it was a necklace with a flower. However, Petunia's was threaded on a silver chain, and it was left as wood, instead of being painted.

And the flower was a lily flower.

For a moment, as his mum just stood frozen, Dudley was afraid that he'd made an awful mistake. Maybe his mum would be upset with him, be hurt at the gift. But that didn't seem to be the case. She reached forward, tears in her eyes, and pulled Dudley into a firm hug.

"Oh, my Dudley! Thank you! It's absolutely wonderful." She leaned back and released him, wiping her eyes with a tissue she pulled out of her pocket. "Is this the carving that Dedalus was teaching you?"  
>"Yes, mum. I'm glad you like it."<p>

"I do, yes. I love it."  
>Before they left, his mum gave him his present, which wasn't anything compared to past years. However, with the current climate, he was very happy to get anything.<p>

The picture was one that must have been in the things she'd packed when they had left Privet Drive. She'd framed it in a silver frame, and wrapped it up.

The picture showed two boys, around two years old, maybe a little younger. One was smaller, with black hair and bright green eyes. They other was a younger Dudley.

They were playing together, an event that Dudley hadn't realized had ever happened. This must have been before Harry had shown any accidental magic, or else at a time when Petunia let them play without her husband knowing. In any case, they were chasing a ball across the back garden. They looked happy.

"Thanks, mum."

Petunia didn't seem to need anything more than that. She looked like she understood.

* * *

><p>"See you soon, darling. Just give me ten minutes, or so."<p>

"Sure, mum." Petunia clutched her package close to her chest, her long neck hunched slightly with nerves as she scampered out the door, shutting it behind her.

Dudley felt for her. His mum had slowly been becoming closer to Hestia, the only person present who had known his aunt Lily. Hestia was a hard one to win over—for ever kindness she showed Petunia, she also added a cold attitude at times, and a closed off face. She had heard firsthand from Petunia's little sister how awful she could be.

Petunia was worried, she had told Dudley, about how the Christmas gift she was giving to Hestia would be received. It was an old picture, one that Petunia had been loath to give up. It showed a young, redheaded girl sitting on the front steps of a white house, smiling at the camera and holding a handful of picked daisies.

After framing it, Petunia hoped that it would make an adequate and heartfelt gift for Hestia.

His mum was trying, at least, Dudley figured. Even if she still had her moments of fear and distrust about magic. Decades of hatred and jealousy couldn't be erased—he knew that.

Left alone in the small flat they shared, Dudley walked to his bedroom, to grab a book that he'd promised to show Ethan. Granted, Dudley had never done much reading in his life, but this one was a fantasy book, called _The Lord of the Rings_, and it had been very interesting, actually. The trilogy was one that Dudley thought the other students would like, as it showed a muggle perspective on magic. Yes, many of the students were muggleborns, but some were half-bloods and had been raised magical, or least in the magical world, even if it was unsafe for them now.

Everyone contributed a little something to share the two worlds, whether it was games, books, or stories.

Stuffing the book in his pocket, Dudley decided to head out to the hall, to wait for his mother. There was no reason to stay here. His hand was turning the knob to leave when he heard the creak of a door behind him.

No. _No._ Not his father. He wasn't ready for this. He didn't want to do this now.

But he swallowed hard and squared his shoulders as he turned around. He wouldn't back down from his dad. His father was a bully, simple as that, one ruled by the fear he felt. Dudley wouldn't let his dad scare him.

"Dudders? That you?" His father's gruff, stern voice sounded from the doorway to the master bedroom. Dudley stayed silent, not answering as his father entered the room. "Ah, it is. There you are, Dudley." His father eased his huge bulk onto the nice, leather couch in front of the enchanted TV in the sitting room. Apparently hating all magical people didn't extend to the electronic entertainment they enchanted for his enjoyment.

The couch sagged under his father heavy weight, and creaked ominously. Dudley hadn't been so conscious of his noticeable weight loss until this moment. Now he noticed that he was down to a reasonable width, and he had managed to transform much of his fat into muscle, from exercising.

Nothing had driven that home to him as much as seeing the blubber that his father toted around.

_God_. That could have been _him_ in a few years!

Dudley cleared his throat. "Hello, dad." Might as well keep this civil.

"Yes, yes. Hello. Where have you been, son? I haven't seen you at all. Keeping out of the way of those abnormal freaks, right? I won't have you interacting with them. They'll turn you funny, son, and we can't have them hurting you."

Dudley took a deep breath, unsure what he was feeling. Obviously some anger, on behalf of his new friends. Also some slight understanding, as he heard that his dad wanted to keep him safe. But overall a sense of relief that his dad was so immersed in his fear that he didn't interact with the rest of the population of the manor.

He had no idea how his son and now his wife were spending their time.

"I've been keeping busy, dad. Exercising, studying, reading. You know. All there really is to do in hiding."

Vernon just grunted. He eyed his son, noticing his new body shape, but didn't comment. "Don't turn into some studying know-it-all, now, Dudders. We can't have that."

Dudley took offense to that. He was _enjoying_ learning about the magical world from books with moving illustrations and cool explanations. He took another deep breath. "I'm just keeping busy, dad."

"Yeah, well not much to do here, hmm? Nice of that boy to stick us in the middle of god-forsaken-nowhere, with no access to the real world, no way to leave, no fresh air, and he able to go off on his own wherever he pleases!" Vernon snorted. "After all we did for him..."

Even with the best of intentions, there was no way Dudley would be able to hold his temper. Harry was out there _risking his life_ and he had offered the Dursley family sanctuary to _save their lives_. They didn't deserve that from him.

Besides, Vernon seemed to enjoy sitting in front of the television every day. He really couldn't care less about the fresh air and outdoors. Dudley knew that. And if the poor kids with the terrible stories of tragedy downstairs could deal, then so could Dudley's jerk of a father!

"Yeah, dad, you're right," Dudley answered, barely containing his rage. His voice shook, and his father looked up at him with a questioning face, "after all we did _to_ Harry, from locking him in a cupboard or his jail of a room, or starving him, or beating him up... really dad, it was _nice_ of him to _protect_ us!"

Vernon just blinked stupidly at his son. "We didn't do anything the freak didn't deserve, Dudders. You know that. The boy doesn't deserve the same consideration as us _normal_ people. You've always agreed."

"No, dad! You've as good as brainwashed me! What was I supposed to do, how was I supposed to act, when my own parents were showing me how to treat Harry?"

"I don't understand, Dudders. The freak just stuck us here! Everything that has gone wrong in our family can be traced back to him! Don't forget exploding fireplaces, that damn pigtail, and that tongue three years ago!"

"Those things could have all been avoided if we were nicer to Harry, and if we took the time to understand his world!" It was true. Dudley wouldn't have been cursed with that tail if his parents hadn't been speaking to Hagrid the way they had, and the twins had targeted him because of what Harry had told the Weasley family (he figured that one out mere hours after Mr. Weasley had put him to rights and escaped). And the fireplace... well, Dudley understood flooing now. And Mr. Weasley really had fixed it all and cleaned it up in moments.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing, Dudley!" Vernon exclaimed now, face slowly reddening. "Are you saying that you're siding with the _freaks_?" He sounded outraged.

"YEAH! Maybe I am, _dad_!" Dudley was furious in return. "They've been nice to me, and treated me like an equal despite the fact that I can't do magic!"

"WHAT have I said about using THAT WORD?" Vernon bellowed, standing up and facing Dudley down. Dudley held his ground, though.

"What word?" He asked sarcastically. "Oh, you mean MAGIC?"

"DUDLEY!" Vernon roared.

"Yeah, dad, MAGIC!" Dudley repeated. "The same phenomena that created this lavish room for you, that delivers your food, that rescued you from being hunted down and killed had you stayed at Privet Drive, that gave you a television, and that Harry can use to hurt you now that he's an adult in the wizarding world! That MAGIC!"

Vernon's face was now purple. "I won't have you speaking to me that way, boy!"

"Oh, really, 'boy', now?" Dudley asked sarcastically, with a slightly hysterical laugh. "Now that I'm talking about magic I'm on the same level as Harry to you?"

"Yeah, yeah! That's right!" Vernon was sounding loudly smug now, as if that would show Dudley.

Dudley had no intention of being 'showed' by the bully his father was. "Great, thanks dad. I'm honored to be even close to the man Harry is. That's something I can be proud of. He managed to show us kindness in sending us here, after we treated him so horribly. He's not on some vacation, but on a mission to save the world. He could die. I'm honored to be his cousin."

Dudley turned from his father to go to the door and leave this horrible situation. Vernon's purple face was gaping at his son, his mouth opening and closing without letting out any sound.

"BOY!" He shouted as Dudley's hand was on the knob. Dudley froze but didn't turn around. "Dudley!" At least Vernon was a little quieter. "If you leave, son, don't bother coming back. I won't have my son becoming one of those _freaks_."

"Don't worry, dad." Dudley said quietly, his anger sliding away, leaving only sadness and bone-deep weariness in him. He didn't turn around. "I won't be back."

Leaving a speechless Vernon behind him, Dudley opened the door and slipped out into the hallway, closing it behind him sharply.

Dudley knew that no one else lived on this floor, and the hall _was_ deserted now, but even so, Dudley was glad to know that the wizards had soundproofed the flat. He didn't want anyone else to have heard that.

He let out a heavy breath as he went to meet his mother. His earlier happy mood from Christmas morning, and his high from kissing Sally, had left. Now he just felt old.

* * *

><p>"Oh, dear. I'm sorry. Did you really have to do that today, though? It's Christmas." His mother sounded so sad that Dudley immediately felt guilty. But then he told himself to buck up. It wasn't his fault. His father was at fault for most of it.<p>

"Yeah, mum, it did have to be today. It was a long time coming. I'm sorry, for what it's worth." They were sitting at the top of one of the staircases, the carpeting soft under them, and the halls and rooms around them still and silent.

"No, Dudley. It's not your fault. I'm sorry, too. I really am."

"Why'd you marry him, mum?" Dudley hadn't meant to ask, especially not today, but he couldn't help it. Had Vernon Dursley been a nice man before magic had interfered? What had his mum seen in him?

"I... I really loved him, Darling." Petunia answered softly. "He wasn't always so... hard and vicious. He was never sweet, or overly caring either, but he cared for me. However, his fear of magic and his... jealously got in the way. I suppose we are the same, that way."

"No, mum," Dudley contradicted softly, "You're nothing like him. You were similar, for a while, but you were able to overcome it with time and help. Your jealousy was rooted in problems from your childhood... what's his excuse? What does he have to be jealous of?"

"It probably goes back to our early days of dating, from when Lily was in her last few years of school. He didn't know about magic until Lily was almost ready to graduate. He'd proposed, though, and your grandparents insisted that we tell him. See, they still hoped that Lily and I would learn to get along like when we were little, and he _was_ going to be part of the family.

"He never really understood the magic... and I didn't help. I'd convinced myself by that point that magic wasn't the wonderful and amazing thing that I'd wanted to be a part of, and I'd decided to hate it. Vernon took that point of view, and that never endeared him to my parents.

"Then Lily brought James home, and mother and father _adored_ him. Both Vernon and I loathed him and Lily for that. I understand why now... he was charming, sincere, and fairly oozed with love for Lily. He genuinely wanted our parents to like him, for her sake. They loved the stories of James trying to gain her attention of the years, and they loved his jokes and even his friends, the one or two times they came over.

"Vernon was never liked, never loved, never _beloved_ like James was to them. They wanted me to be happy, and they were kind and polite to the man I loved. They were... cordial. Vernon—and myself—never understood that the reason they treated James differently was because he acted differently. He gave them cause to like him. Your father was always... coldly polite, and sometimes downright rude. Especially in regards to James, and even Lily, whom mother and father loved."

"Ah." Dudley understood. It was his father's own fault, and yet it couldn't be easy to see his future in-laws completely adore a... rival, in some respects. Both were going to marry Evans girls, and wanted the approval of the parents.

However, none of that excused Vernon's behavior, and Dudley told his mum as much.

"Oh darling, I agree, completely. I never meant to imply that. He's changed from when we were younger, but more than that, I've changed. After this is over, the war and the hiding... your father and I are going to have to talk. We probably won't be leaving this house together."

Dudley looked over and saw a single tear slide down his mum's cheek. Regardless of how his dad was acting, Petunia had been married to the man for twenty-odd years, and they had been through a lot together. This had to be hard for her. He grabbed her hand in his, and squeezed it in support.

"And Dudley, I know that what I felt doesn't excuse my behavior all these years, either. I know that, and I know that Harry will probably not be... comfortable around me whenever we see him again."

Something that Dudley loved about spending time with his mum these days was that they would talk about Harry in terms of _when's_ not _if's._ It was an important distinction, when compared with the magical people in the house, and their unspoken but implied fears.

"Harry's forgiving, mum. Almost too much so, I think... even if it takes time, you can tell him things about his mum that I'm sure he'll want to know. It will work out."

"Thank you, Dudley."

He smiled over at her. "Come on. Let's leave this alone, for now. There's nothing we can do about it. However, we can do something about the food waiting downstairs, and the fact that there are a couple dozen hungry teenagers in this house. There might not be much left soon."

She laughed a light and truly pleased laugh, causing Dudley to smile widely in return, leaping up and offering her a hand to rise. She accepted, and tucked her hand into his elbow once standing, allowing him to escort her down the numerous staircases and through the various halls to reach to dining room.

* * *

><p>The meal was pleasant, full of giggles and shouts and smiles and food, with friends and stories and teasing. Soon Dudley's previous mood was back, and Sally's small smiles from the other end of the table only helped matters.<p>

The rest of the day was spent similarly. There was flying downstairs, small gifts of books, homemade crafts and favors exchanged, and more sweets than most of the kids knew what to do with.

It was the nicest day that Dudley could remember having in a long while. Ethan had been thrilled to hear that Dudley would be staying with him and two other boys, Nathan who was only fourteen, and Eric, who was sixteen.

Dudley's mum had kindly agreed to collect his things and bring them to him in the evening.

Carols were playing throughout the house, stomachs were full, and fires were roaring in the floos. It was a perfect holiday—or as close as they could get, with the war.

Despite the altercation with his dad, Dudley went to bed perfectly content that night, surrounded by the snores of his roommates, reminding him that he was not alone.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN:_**

**_Thank you for reading! And again, everyone that stuck with me, I love you all. Totally and completely._**

_**The Vernon scene has been bugging me since the second chapter of this story. It might be part of the reason I had a hard time with this chapter. So, I'd really like to hear what you think.**_

__**_So, as always, please review. I'll really appreciate it. My regular reviewers, if you're still here, you know who you are, and you all rock! :)_**

_**For anyone who is interested, I found this online, about sunflowers. I thought it was interesting.**  
><em>

_While their distinctive and brilliant appearance makes it easy to see why sunflowers have long held our fascination, when they were first grown in Central and South America, it was more for their usefulness (providing oil and food) than beauty. And perhaps this unique combination of striking beauty and utility is, in part, why sunflowers have appeared as such revered symbols throughout the ages._

_It's said that the natives of the Inca Empire worshipped a giant sunflower, and that Incan priestesses wore large sunflower disks made of gold on their garments. Images of sunflowers were found in the temples of the Andes mountains, and Native American Indians placed bowls of sunflower seeds on the graves of their dead. The Impressionist period of art is famous for its fascination with the sunflower, and this striking flower remains today a commonly photographed and painted icon of uncommon beauty._

_The 3rd wedding anniversary flower and the state flower of Kansas, sunflowers turn to follow the sun. Their open faces symbolize the sun itself, conveying warmth and happiness, adoration and longevity._

_**Until next time!**_

_**-Books**_


	11. The End of The Holidays

_**A/N:**_

_**Hey all! Another update for you, and I hope you like it! It's fairly long, so I'll keep the author's note short.**_

**_Oh, and there will be responses for all of my lovely anonymous reviewers at the bottom. ;) Not to mention that there are some elements that I used in this chapter that came from my lovely reviewers. Those will be mentioned at the end as well._**

_**Thanks for reading!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or world of Harry Potter. We should all know that it belongs to JK Rowling by now.<strong>

* * *

><p>Dudley really enjoyed himself during the rest of the winter break. Granted, living in the Manor it wasn't the same typical 'vacation' as it would be from a school such as Hogwarts, but they didn't study or work much during the designated time.<p>

Besides that, they had visitors who stayed for longer than a day, and who weren't in their home to hide or to deliver more bad news, but to spend time and relax with the Manor's inhabitants.

Ginny and the twins had stayed through Christmas, up until January fourth. On December twenty-fifth, Christmas, their parents had arrived to stay for a time, along with Charlie, Remus, and his wife, Tonks.

A couple of days after that, Kingsley Shacklebolt had shown up again, though only for two days. He'd brought a newcomer with him, one Lee Jordan. _That_ had certainly been an experience, even if Lee was gone a mere two days later. Dudley had thought the twins could be bad. Lee was apparently the added bonus to their double act. The three seemed... dangerous, all together.

* * *

><p>"Lee!" That was the one missing an ear—George, then.<p>

"Great to see you!" Fred, Dudley narrated in his mind.

"What are you—"

"—doing here?"

They would never cease to confuse him.

"Visiting with Kingsley. Obviously." Lee sounded _too_ innocent there, his face a little _too_ calm—particularly for someone so close to the twins.

"Now, now, Lee—"

"—what have we told you—"

"—about lying?" They finished together.

"To do it well?" Lee answered innocently. Everyone in the game room loved that. There were chuckles and snorts muffled in every corner. To the outside observer it may have seemed like the twins and Lee hadn't even noticed their audience, but Dudley saw Fred's mouth twitch slightly, George straighten his shoulders, and Lee wink toward Ginny.

They were as good as actors, playing along for their adoring fans.

"Yes, yes, Lee," Fred said patronizingly, "but what was the other rule?"

When Lee continued to look politely puzzled, George butt in. "Not to lie to _us_," he reminded his friend. Lee grinned.

"Ah, of course."

"Well? What are you doing here?" Fred insisted, bringing the entire conversation back to the beginning.

"You don't mean metaphysically, right?" Dudley didn't even know what that meant. "And I'm sure you don't mean, like, in terms of existence. Like, I don't know what our purpose as humans is here on earth, and I'm sure I don't have to explain where baby Lee came from. I mean, you know that when a man loves a woman—"

"Enough, Lee!" Fred burst out, looking horrified. There were many more giggles at this point. People were looking awkward. If Dudley had had any disbelief about Lee being the twin's best friend and partner-in-crime during their school years, it was erased during that exchange.

He was as bad as they were.

"Merlin, what was that for, you bastard?" George questioned incredulously, looking sickened. Lee looked far too happy with what was occurring around him. In fact, he smiled even wider as a voice was heard from outside the room.

"Boys..." Mrs. Weasley said warningly as she made her way past the door, her voice drifting into the room as she shot her sons a stern look.

Molly Weasley had been in the Manor for a few days with her family, cooking in the kitchen with Sue, handing out gifts with Dedalus, and making polite chitchat with Petunia. She was altogether spreading out her mothering-feelings, and making everyone feel welcomed and happy during the holiday. She'd seamlessly fitted herself into Manor life.

Dudley found her to be a kind, warm woman, who was always around for a smile or a treat or just a talk. Dudley suspected that, for her family, a hug would be added to that list. She seemed to give a lot of those.

However, Dudley had also learned in those days that Molly Weasley was a woman to be reckoned with. She would have to be, he supposed. The woman had raised six boys and a rather... independent girl.

Which was why it didn't come as any surprise to him when Fred and George straightened guiltily, and George called, "Sorry, mum!" as he was the one who had cursed where his mother could hear (Dudley was sure that was the only reason he was sorry—the twins probably didn't make a habit of doing any of their... hobbies where their mother could witness).

"Sorry," Lee snickered when George glared at him for laughing. "Anyway," he sobered up and cleared his throat, before addressing the whole room. "I'll only be here for a couple of days, but Kingsley and I want to use the Manor to broadcast the next _Potterwatch_ episode tonight."

The room exploded.

* * *

><p>It didn't literally explode, but the noise level did. Lee finally got to explain that their show had to move around between each broadcast. It probably wouldn't be safe to stay at the Manor for more than one, but that the next show would indeed be that night.<p>

The children had all been excited, and for a good reason. They weren't going to be allowed to be in the actual room—too many distraction opportunities for kids like the Creevey brothers—but it was going to be coming from _their house_. It was pretty cool.

The congregation in the game room ended when the twins started to chase Lee in circles—with their wands in their hands. They hadn't been happy that no one had told them that there was even a _date_ in mind for the next _Potterwatch_, let alone a place to broadcast from.

When the Weasley twins are running in circles, chasing someone out of anger—or even annoyance—it was best to get away. Far away. Which the entire rest of the room did, as quickly as they could run out of the door.

* * *

><p>Dudley ended up in the hallway on the fourth floor near the front of the house, walking aimlessly as he didn't have anything to do.<p>

"Dudley?" It was Sally, coming up a staircase towards him. Dudley stopped to wait for her.

He hadn't spoken to her alone since that moment in the kitchen Christmas morning. Hopefully it wouldn't be awkward between them, but Dudley didn't have much experience with girls... well, zero experience, really. He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do!

"I thought it was you." Sally smiled at him as she reached the landing of the fourth floor, and all Dudley could think was how pretty her smile was; a little shy, a little higher on the left, with her white, white teeth just peeking through. She wasn't wearing any makeup, and Dudley looked at her lips for a moment, remembering how soft they were.

He jumped a little, feeling her look at him.

"It's—it's good to see you, Sally." He finally managed to stutter out. He gave her a little smile of his own as he met her eyes. They were a pretty hazel color, and the sunlight streaming through the windows in the hall, filtering past the lacy curtains, brought out the twinkling quality that Dudley loved.

"You too, Dudley," Sally answered. "What are you up to?"

"I'm just wandering... I have nothing to do, and I wasn't so sure it was going to be safe downstairs."

Sally giggled a little, and Dudley felt himself puff up with a pride. _He_ made her laugh!

"Yeah, that was really something. From what Ginny said, apparently things like that were always happening in Gryffindor Tower, if it wasn't Ron and Hermione shouting across the common room, or Fred and George turning people into birds with their sweets, or any other numerous amounts of mayhem."

"Wow. I'm not so sure I'd like living like that."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It wasn't anything like that in Hufflepuff. Although, Gryffindor must have some quiet and study time and such... Hermione Granger is probably good at controlling the common room. She was a prefect, and all."

"What was Hufflepuff like?" Dudley asked, watching as Sally's eyes lit up in happiness and remembrance. "You miss it?" He added.

"Yeah, I do. I really do. It was lovely. We were underground, but not in the dungeons like the Slytherin students were. It was a comfortable, warm common room, with bookshelves and soft couches and chairs, and a fireplace that was always ready to go. From what I hear all the common rooms have some similarities, but ours was... unique. Since there were no windows, there was magical light that lit it up, but it looked like natural light. There was a ceiling, of course, but it seemed like instead there was a burrow opening above us, letting the light in. It was... an illusion. We were the badgers, so we had a little hide-a-way underground home, it seemed like."

Sally went on to describe her dorm, and her friends, and then the rest of the castle. She offered to stop many times, thinking that she was boring Dudley, but he was enthralled. By the descriptions, the magic, and her voice.

As she talked, they slowly made their way down the stairs, to the game room. When they were still a floor away, Dudley stopped her after a monologue about one of her favorite Charms classes (that Professor—Flitwick—sounded very awesome).

"I—I love talking with you, Sally." Dudley felt very shy, and very conscious of the fact that he was still holding her hand. When had he grabbed it? "Can I, can we, I mean... will you meet me tomorrow before lunch in the conservatory for a little while?" He blurted the last part out. And he knew that wasn't much of a date, or anything, but it was the first place that they had really talked, and he would like to just spend time with her...

Sally was blushing very prettily, and she smiled at him again. "I'd like that, Dudley. Can you pick me up on my floor around 10:30?"

"Perfect." He smiled, and leaned forward and kissed her again. The kiss was perfect. It was just as wonderful as the first time.

He was pretty sure it would be easy to get addicted to kissing her.

* * *

><p>Dudley and Ethan were meandering around the middle of the third floor a little after lunch.<p>

"Kitchen?" Ethan suggested. "Maybe the elves have snacks." Yes, they'd just eaten. But, well, _teenage boys_. It was enough of an explanation, Dudley thought.

"Nah," Dudley countered. "Sue said the next teenager that bothers her when she's trying to make dinner would _be_ dinner."

"Oh. Right. I'd forgot." Neither boy wanted to get on Sue's bad side. She could be sweet and caring, but also as fierce as a bear protecting her young about her kitchen.

Dudley thought if there was a fight she'd be just as protective of the kids in the house. So, that was good, at least.

"Um... the basement?" Ethan asked.

"Um... I guess... only..." Dudley didn't want to sound a spoilsport, so he didn't finish.

"Ah, right. Sorry, Dud," Ethan apologized, "I forgot you can't fly. Not as much fun then, I guess?"

"No, not really." Dudley sighed. That was probably the one thing he was really jealous of in terms of the magical children. Yes, it was dangerous and he might not even like it if he tried it, but...

It just looked so _cool_.

"Do we know why Muggles can't fly?" Dudley asked Ethan. It was a question that his friend was going to try and research, as no one they asked had known. It was just... a fact. No Muggle had tried to fly before, it seemed.

"Well, Hestia had a theory that seems correct from what I've found..." He saw Dudley's look of interest, and explained.

"Well, all broomsticks have charms built into them. Some are small, like for looks or to keep the handle shiny, or the twigs from snapping too easily. Some brooms that are nicer models will have more of the unnecessary ones. Some charms, like the braking ones, are necessary on all brooms, but the nicer ones will have more powerful ones, or the kind that Seekers need, like stopping on an instant, that kind of thing. With me so far?"

"Yeah," Dudley nodded. It seemed straightforward.

"Then there are cushioning charms, which are probably the reason that people _can_ fly broomsticks. I mean, can you imagine otherwise..."

Dudley winced with Ethan. Yeah, that would _hurt_, sitting on a stick of wood, up in the air for hours!

"Right, as far as Hestia knows, there are also some small charms that connect with the flyer's magic, causing the broom to respond to them, like when it hovers to be mounted, or when the really good ones respond to basically a touch, not a pull."

"Okay," Dudley said slowly, "So they're charmed to fly, but to also connect to the wizard flying them."

"Pretty much."

Dudley sighed again. "Thanks, E." Yeah, it sucked not being able to fly, but at least he knew now why.

It was the obvious reason, though. He didn't have magic.

"Hey Ethan! Dudley." Even without recognizing the voice, Dudley would have known Ginny Weasley by the slightly less enthusiastic way that she'd said his name, compared to Ethan's.

Ginny wasn't being mean to him. She was being nice, cordial. But Dudley knew enough about Ginny Weasley by now to know that cordial was still a far way from _like_. Of course, it was understandable.

"Hey, Ginny. What's up?" Ethan stopped to look at her, Dudley pausing behind his friend.

"Not much. I just escaped the twins. They're almost as bad as my mum, wanting to know what's been happening at school this year."

"It's that bad?" Ethan asked sympathetically, seeing the despondent look on her face.  
>"Worse, actually, but we're making it through. I'd just rather not talk about it. You know?"<p>

"Yeah, I do. Want to come with Dudley and me?"

"What are you doing?"

"It's still being decided," Dudley answered, and saw Ginny look at him. He gave her a small smile, and she returned it cautiously. "Do you have anything you want to do?" Dudley asked her.

"Well, I hear that the basement here rocks." Ginny replied with a smile. Dudley's heart fell a little but he didn't let her see. It made sense that a Weasley would want to see the Quidditch pitch. Ginny gave him a knowing grin.

"But, I don't quite feel like flying today. It's not really the same without the team at school, or being away from the Burrow's homemade pitch."

Dudley felt himself answering her grin. She'd heard the conversation, and was giving him a peace offering.

"I'd like to see it, though, an indoor park, it sounds like. It sounds one of a kind."

"Oh, it is." Ethan assured her. "What do you say?" He turned to Dudley. "Want to brave Sue for some snacks and have a picnic down there?"

"Sure!" Dudley chuckled.

"It won't be a problem." Ginny assured them with confidence. "Sue likes me."

Dudley wasn't surprised. People either loved Ginny, or hated her, it seemed. She was just that kind of person.

"C'mon," Ethan gestured down the hall, and Ginny and Dudley followed after him. "And if we see anyone else, we can offer for them to join us."

"I think they all fled the twins and Lee," Ginny offered. "Some might be down there already."

As the trio was passing the floor with the big library, they saw Kingsley exiting through a door they'd never seen opened. He made to pass them in the hallway.

"Ginny!" He said, smiling at her. "Your brothers were wondering where you'd gotten to."

"Oh, they're not here, are they? I'm avoiding them." She said it so seriously, with such a straight face, that it made her remark hilarious. Kingsley apparently thought so too. He stifled a chuckle.

"They're in that room. So walk past quietly."

"Will do. Thanks, Kingsley. What's up in there?" She asked him.

"Oh, it's a store room or something, but it was empty. We're setting it up to broadcast tonight. Lee's setting up the charms, Remus is getting supplies we need, and the twins are pretending to help with furniture."

"Of course," Ginny laughed, "with them it's always pretend!"

"Yes." Kingsley sighed, but he looked like he, as well, was fond of the twins. "Take care, Ginny."

"You too, Kingsley."

As he passed by, he gave nods of hello to both boys. He wasn't discourteous, he smiled and was kind to them, but it wasn't the same as his enthusiastic greeting that he'd given Ginny.

As the three walked down the hall, quieter now to avoid the twins hearing them, Dudley thought about that. It was because of the war, he decided. Ginny was a leader of the students, from what he'd heard. She'd lived with the Order of the Phoenix during the summer once or twice. Her whole family was involved very deeply. They were Harry's family, in more than one way.

So, that made them... comrades, in the war. That was interesting, to see how equally Kingsley Shacklebolt, a big figure in the politics of this war, treated teenage Ginny.

"No, no, no!" The three froze right outside the slightly cracked open door. That was Lee's loud voice. "WHY do you two have to argue like this?" They really didn't want to deal with those three right now!

"But I LOVE the name!" A twin cried, "Really, Fred, you'd make a spiffing Raindrop!"

"RAINDROP?" The other—Fred, Dudley assumed—roared back. "Well, then, YOU should be ROTTEN!"

Dudley had to cover his mouth to stop his snort from escaping. Looking sideways, Ethan had the same problem, while Ginny's face looked like it was going to split in half from her smile. She had a look of the fondest exasperation for her brothers in her eyes.

"Mates, mates, this can be easily solved..."

"How so, Lee?" Two identically annoyed voices asked sharply.

"Why, it's simple. We can just name you _both_ Rude."

"LEE!"

It was too much. The three of them raced down the hallway, barely able to hold their laughter in until they'd escaped up a staircase, heading in the wrong direction for the kitchen, but trying to get as far from the storeroom as quickly as possible.

They stopped in the middle of the stairs, not even noticing as it started to vibrate (like some of the staircases tended to do) as they held onto each other's shoulders and laughed helplessly.

"Oh, I love them!" Ginny exclaimed, tears running down her cheeks. "Sometimes the world just seems a better place from listening to them."

* * *

><p>"On another note, we have a new death to report," Fred's voice said solemnly, surprising those listening and remembering the same young man who was playing in the game room earlier.<p>

"Bathilda Bagshot, author of _A History of Magic_, of Godric's Hollow was found dead and... mutilated in her home days ago. She's been dead for some time, according to the Order of the Phoenix members who found her.

"A moment of silence for Ms. Bagshot, please."

The room stayed silent as Fred's voice stopped for a minute. Dudley didn't want to think about why a woman would be dead for some time without someone knowing. And what did _mutilated_ mean?

He certainly didn't want to know.

"Thank you, Ruffian." The twins' names kept being changed each episode, and they seemed to enjoy confusing their friends by being each other every other show. Of course, Ginny was in the room this time, so she kept them straight for everyone else.

Lee was still talking. "Now we have Romulus, with news about our friend, Potter. What news about Harry, Romulus?"

"Thank you, River," they heard Remus's voice, and Dudley knew it was a good thing that the children had been kept from the broadcast room. At Remus's voice there was a cheer in the game room. He was a very popular man with the children, even to the ones who had never met him at Hogwarts but had been getting to know him the previous few days.

"About Harry Potter we don't have any definite news," Remus said with some regret in his voice.

"Then again," a voice broke in, and Ginny hissed "George!", "has there ever been definite news with Harry?"

There were chuckles both in the room, and from a familiar pair of twins over the radio.

The twins were really something else. Dudley was glad to have gotten this chance to meet them and actually get to know them somewhat. They understood the war, they could be serious and fight for what they believe in, but they also understood laughter and keeping people's spirits up.

The rest of the episode was similarly grim. More dementor attacks, more disappearances, and more panic. An old woman and a young boy sent letters to Remus for Harry, and Remus read them out.

"'And finally, Harry,'" read the one from the old woman, "'I want to thank you for all that you're doing. My Leo died in the last war, and I just know that you'll end this all as soon as you can. We believe in you.

"'Sincerely, Margie.'

"So, Harry, we all believe in you, as Margie said so well.

"On one last Potter note, we only found the body of the late Bathilda Bagshot because of a disturbance in Godric's Hollow. We have reason to believe that You-Know-Who himself was there, and that Harry himself might have been as well. If so, then we know he's well and on the move, and accomplishing whatever it is he needs to do."

"Thank you, Romulus." Lee's voice was back on the radio. "That concludes our _Potterwatch_ episode for tonight. Check next week for the next update. The password will be Fawkes. Thank you for listening, stay safe, and keep each other safe."

The room descended into silence. It was a somber ending to the evening.

* * *

><p>The next day after lunch and his date with Sally (which had gone wonderfully, and Dudley had felt like he'd been floating on a cloud ever since), Dudley ambled up the staircase that ran straight from the second floor to the fourth, wondering where in the world his friends were. He'd checked the game room and found it surprisingly empty. There was almost always someone in there—two kids playing chess, a group playing gobstones and dodging the stinky squirts of liquid, or just someone sitting in an armchair, reading.<p>

However, there was absolutely no one there this afternoon.

_Potterwatch_ had just been the night before. Lee and Kingsley were leaving the next morning, and while the Weasleys would be staying until just a couple of days before the Hogwarts term restarted, the Lupins had left just a few hours ago.

Soon, in less than a week, it would be back to the original Manor occupants. While it might be nice to get back to their normal routine, Dudley knew everyone would miss their visitors. After a while, it got old never seeing anyone new. And with the danger involved, they probably wouldn't get any travelers in the next few months.

"Anyone here?" Dudley called out when he reached the fourth floor.

He was in the east wing of the house; there were several rooms here that were in use often. There were the dorm rooms for the boys and girls, for one. The girls were on the fifth floor, the boys directly under them on the fourth floor. Each bedroom held anywhere from one to five students. While there was room for everyone to live on their own, oftentimes the adults had found that the kids didn't want to be alone. Sometimes it was from loneliness and the terror of the night during wartime, or from what they were used to at school.

Either way, most of the students shared rooms with those they chose. So, their friends and siblings for the most part.

Dudley's room held four people, and was perfect for him. He liked sharing, he'd discovered much to his surprise. It wasn't like they spent all day in the room—they really only slept there. They all had their own space and their own privacy when they needed it, which made it easier to not get in each other's ways. It was nice, though, to have people to talk to before going to bed. Somehow he slept better knowing that if anything happened, there were three boys right there who would help in an instant.

The girls and boys rooms had been charmed to only allow that sex to enter—no girls entering the boys rooms, and vice versa. So it wasn't a problem that there were several communal rooms on the boys floor that the girls spent time in.

One such room was just a sitting room, with chairs and a small library of novels. It had nothing on the library downstairs, but it had plenty to entertain them. Because the Manor was large and kind of scary in the dark, it was nice to have options to read so close to their rooms.

Another room was a gym that Dudley liked. It wasn't as large as the other one that he used, but it had a treadmill and weights he would lift. It was nice to have it right there on nights when he couldn't sleep. A workout always helped that.

He had heard that the girls had a sewing room upstairs near their dorms where they altered their outfits, and that there was some room where they spent nights having group sleepovers, but as a matter of privacy, the boys didn't venture up to the fifth floor of the east wing. It was an unspoken agreement that it was the girls' personal space.

Dudley, at least, didn't want to run into any giggling girls on their own turf.

"Anyone?" Dudley questioned again, passing the exercise room, and peering into the sitting room.

No one was there.

"In here, Dud!" He heard from a room he'd never seen used. Opening the door a little he peeked inside, only to have his mouth drop open in shock.

How come he'd never seen this before?

"It's brand new," Justin explained, "Mr. Weasley just helped Dedalus put it all together this morning, apparently."

Dudley blushed. He hadn't realized that he'd spoken out loud.

"Come in, Dudley," Eric, one of his roommates, called out. He was a tall boy a little younger than Dudley, with curly brown hair and brown freckles on his face and arms.

Dudley entered.

The room was only half the size of their favorite room, the game room, downstairs. While that had room for the couple dozen kids in the Manor, and any visitors who might join them, this was only barely comfortable for the ones in there right now.

It was all older kids. Dudley assumed the younger ones, the thirteen year olds to the ten year olds (he thought that was the youngest age they had in the Manor), were probably in their own playroom down the hall.

In the room were the three Weasleys, Ethan, Eric and their roommate Nathan, Sally, her friends Penny and Kathy, Justin, two fourteen year old girls that Dudley didn't recognize, and Robert, a fifteen year old boy from down the hall. He slept in a room with two younger boys; one was his ten-year-old brother, and the other was his brother's best friend.

This room's contents were nothing like those of the game room. No. In one corner, there was a desk. And on this desk, there was a _computer_.

Wasn't that supposed to not work around magic?

And everyone was clustered around a _TV_.

Dudley was sure his confusion was plain on his face. Sally gave him a sympathetic look.

"Yeah, I think we all felt that way."

Ethan laughed. "They managed to somehow charm and spell the electronics to not go haywire around all this magic. I don't know how they managed it. However, Mr. Weasley said it probably wouldn't even last a year. I think we agree that it's enough to enjoy it for now, though."

"How?" Dudley asked incredulously.

The Weasleys laughed. "Our dad," Ginny said kindly to Dudley, "Loves all things Muggle. He was working hard on this, apparently, after meeting all of you at the end of last summer. He can't go to work anymore, since it's too dangerous. He's a known Dumbledore and Harry supporter. So, he tinkers at home instead."

"Drives mum mad." A twin offered, causing his siblings to grin.

"Remember the first time Harry came over?" His brother asked. "Dad kept him busy every meal, pestering him about Muggles."

"Yeah, and the first time he met Hermione's parents wasn't much better!" The other twin said.

Ginny smiled. "Oh, Hermione said her parents loved dad. Thought he was great, very funny."

If the Dursleys had acted as Harry's family, would Mr. Weasley have asked them questions? He seemed an honest, kind man. Dudley thought, again, on what they had missed over the years.

* * *

><p>Yet another stupid cartoon had ended. Yes, they weren't anything special—not exciting, or new even, just reruns of some old show. But for a bunch of kids cut off from the muggle world, and most of which who belonged to that world in some way, it was wonderful to be able to just sit in front of a television again.<p>

Dudley hadn't missed it as much as he thought that he would, actually. Although it was nice. It got him thinking, about the past, about the present, and even just about the show.

Speaking of which...

"What happens if a wizard loses his wand in a fight?"

The question had come out of nowhere. The room had been silent, the kids staring at the screen as the end credits rolled down a black backdrop. The Weasleys were particularly interested, as they hadn't ever watched a television show before.

This show had been some stupid one, with an inane plot, shallow characters, and iffy graphic effects.

Dudley had been interested in the karate the main character had used, though.

Which led to his question.

"Well?"

He looked around. The Weasleys were exchanging bemused looks. Ethan was murmuring to himself, but looked confused. Sally looked at Kathy with a _why-didn't-I think-of-that_ look.

"Um... I don't know." Ethan finally admitted. "Umm... Fred, George? Ginny?"

Everyone looked at them. It was understandable, after all—

"You're the only purebloods here," Ethan added.

"I'm... not sure. I mean, someone creative could figure something out, I'm sure." One twin said, looking at his brother questioningly. Ginny looked thoughtful, but opened her mouth to speak, slowly, thinking about each word.

"Well, normally, if you lose your wand in a duel, you lose the match. It depends on the level of the duel, what rules were chosen, etcetera, but normally being disarmed is the end. However, in battle, if you're disarmed, then that normally means that you're dead."

She said it so frankly, with such an even tone, that it took Dudley a moment to comprehend what she was saying. Then, he just gaped at her.

"Well, obviously that's not always the case," she told him, continuing on, and speaking to the other kids who were watching her with morbid fascination, "I've been disarmed, and I'm obviously alright. If you have someone with you, like I have in the past in dangerous situations, then they'll hopefully be able to cover for you, and either summon your wand or give you time to find it."

Dudley nodded. That made sense.

"People who are... creative, as Fred said, might use ducking and running to dodge the spells and find their wand. Some people are capable of wandless magic. It's very hard, though, so only powerful wizards can do it, and only little amounts, I think. But maybe they could summon their wands?" **[1]**

She sounded unsure at the end, but it was enough to answer Dudley's question.

"So, you guys don't learn, like physical training, or hand to hand fighting, or anything like that?"

_No_ was the general consensus in the room.

"No one in the wizarding world really fights like that."

Sally looked thoughtful. "I'm sure that's true, George, but it doesn't make a lot to sense. I mean, I know that adults don't want kids participating in this stuff, but there's not always a choice, and even kids like those here that are allowed to use magic aren't really well trained."

The Weasleys looked like they were seriously rethinking what they'd been taught, and the muggle-borns in the room were getting excited.

"You know," Nathan spoke up suddenly, "I took self-defense classes before Hogwarts. I mean, I stopped when I turned eleven, but I know all sorts of holds and grabs and such to get away from an attacker without having to be bigger."

There was some excitement at that.

"I took gymnastics until three years ago," Kathy spoke hesitatingly, "Where we learned flips and agility stuff. It would be handy for dodging spells."

"I did dance from the age of three till eleven, and I still practice whenever I can," Penny added in, smiling at Kathy, "I had to learn some of the same exercises and tumbling things that you probably did."

Some of the boys spoke up about playing sports in primary school, and the athletic training of them. Someone mentioned the former captain of their Quidditch team in school, and exercises they'd done for dodging bludgers, and how those could be used on the ground.

The group was getting more and more excited as they all talked over one another, and the three redheads were left watching in growing amazement.

"Um... I was a boxing champion at my old school," Dudley volunteered finally, getting to the real reason that his question had even come up.

Everyone quieted down and looked at him.

"Listen," Ethan finally broke the silence, "I think we could have something great, here. Why don't we all meet for an hour a day, or a couple hours every few days, and help each other train? We could meet in the basement for running or some exercises, or if someone specifies somewhere else for their training, we'll go there. It could be really beneficial."

Looking around the room at the bright, flushed faces, eager with anticipation, Dudley felt a sense of pride. _He_ was part of this. He might not have magic, but he could learn to defend himself, and teach other kids how to do the same.

"That would be brilliant," Ginny said quietly, "If you could all manage that. Like George said, the magical world doesn't think like that. It would be a wonderful surprise tactic. Only... could I ask a favor?" Receiving nods, she swallowed and said, "Please, try to teach the younger ones everything you can. Hopefully they'll never need any of it. But..."

She didn't finish, but she didn't need to. Dudley swallowed at the thought of ten year olds needing to know how to defend themselves. Of course, everyone agreed eagerly to Ginny's request.

The Creevey brothers were the only older students not present (and it was generally agreed upon that it was probably safer not to wonder _where_ they were) so they came up with a schedule with what they knew.

Four days a week training for thirteen and above, three days a week for the ten to twelve year olds.

They'd meet primarily in the late afternoons, before dinner, leaving time to shower before the meal.

Normally meetings would be downstairs, or in the main gym.

They decided who would teach what on what days, from tumbling, to wrestling, to boxing or leaping.

And finally, they decided to keep it quiet from the adults. Not that they'd lie, or that it needed to be a complete secret, but in case nothing came from it, there was no reason to raise expectations.

Besides, it was exciting, taking charge for themselves. It reminded Dudley of Harry's secret defense group his fifth year. Kids _were_ capable. They had talent. And they could share that talent.

* * *

><p>A few days later the older students met for the first time to do more than just running and conditioning. A few of the girls had planned some exercises in agility for them. Ethan had poured over books for hours, until finally finding a spell to charm a conjured dummy into shooting bolts of colored light at them. They weren't spells, and wouldn't do anything, but it was great practice for dodging.<p>

Meggie— a fourteen year old who Dudley was ashamed to say he'd never spoken to before, and hadn't known her name until today—stood up in front of the group, some of whom were several years older than her. She stood tall and with no sign of shyness.

"So, for this first one you'll all follow the marks on the floor," she pointed to white chalk marks on the floor of the empty room they'd commandeered, "as you all run in a line."

"That's all?" one boy asked skeptically.

"No, that's not all!" Meggie's friend stepped up and defended her. Her name started with a D, Dudley knew. "You need to jump from mark to mark, and land solidly on your feet, centered on the mark. Pretend that you're dodging spells on a cliff, and if you land badly, you'll fall off the edge."

Everyone froze at that. It was a horrible image, but it had the desired result—no one questioned Meggie or D-girl.

"On the red marks," Meggie continued when the reality of their training had sunk in, "you need to jump and fall into a roll, like we were practicing last time, downstairs."

"And," D-girl added, "The floor _has_ been charmed to be softer." There was a general sigh of relief at that. "But just because it's the first time, and we're only practicing!" She made sure to add.

They started, and Dudley was surprised at how hard it was, but how fulfilling when he managed to do it correctly. They didn't use the dummy with the fake spells in the first exercise, but once everyone was warmed up and loosened up, the girls began to work them harder, and introduce the dummy.

The whole group was hot and sweaty by the time they were ready to wrap up. But before they could, the door creaked open.

"Oh, sorry!" A Scottish accent sounded from the doorway, causing several students to freeze, "I thought I heard noises, but this floor was said to be fairly empty. I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to make sure everything was all right."

Dudley didn't know why there was another adult in the house. Of course, it could just be someone visiting, and it was true that they'd been hidden up here most of the day, between training and the new television, and the game room...

He turned around, with everyone else, to see a stern, older witch, but one with a bright spark in her eye. He bet nothing got past her.

She had her dark hair up in a severe bun, with bits of gray in it. She was wearing spectacles on her nose, and traditional, gray witches robes.

"Professor McGonagall!" Someone finally gasped into the silence.

_Ah_. So _this_ was the famous McGonagall.

There were various greeting from a murmured "Professor," to "Hello," to "Wonderful to see you!" from the yet-to-leave Weasley twins, and the Creevey brothers.

"Yes, yes. It's wonderful to see you all as well, and to all of you in good health."

She blinked back something that looked suspiciously like tears, and Dudley shrunk back to the wall, feeling a little like an intruder. She had taught all of these teenagers. She was stuck in a school that she loved with Death Eaters keeping her from protecting her students.

Of course she was glad to see them well.

"Well," She said briskly, "what was going on in here?"

No one spoke for a minute, before Ethan stepped up. It made sense, in a way, that a Gryffindor would feel the most comfortable talking to their Head of House.

"Training, Professor, using skills we learned from our early muggle years. We decided that it would be... smart, to help each other. Only, we're keeping it quiet, for now."

The implied request was obvious to the witch.

"Of course, I shall keep this to myself. Why, what a marvelous idea. I'm very proud of all of you."

The Professor left after speaking to a few of her former students, and wishing everyone well. She never gave a reason for being in the Manor. No one ever asked her. But it gave the other kids heart, to be approved of by their respected teacher, and to see a piece of Hogwarts in their new home.

After they all split off to go shower before dinner (where there was great speculation if Professor McGonagall would be joining) Ethan explained it to Dudley.

"McGonagall... well, it's like it was with Dumbledore. She _is_ Hogwarts, in a sense. You wouldn't believe how odd it was to see her here... she's strict, she's hard, but she's fair and has a sense of humor. She secretly loves the Weasley twins, everyone knows it.

"She... is the castle, in a sense. She greets the first years, is the first one they meet after Hagrid. And she's always been at the school."

Dudley wished he knew what it was like to be part of a community that large but close knit, like Hogwarts sounded like. With teachers that _lived_ for their school.

He hoped he could visit, at least. Someday.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thank you for reading! I really hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. It's my longest one by far, I think, and it had a lot in it. So, I'd be really pleased if you could please drop me a quick review, and tell me what you thought.**_

_**Um, I have a couple of things to dedicate to different people. :)**_

_**- To: Lyaser53 who had a brilliant idea for Dudley to teach boxing, and look what it turned into! So, thank you for that and for giving me the startup idea for something exciting.**_

_**-To: Oreny19 who came up with the idea of a working TV in the Manor, besides Vernon's. One for the kids. I think this was from the guesses of the Christmas present? Anyway, thank you for the inspiration.**_

_**-To: Vitzy who wanted to see someone visit, such as Lee Jordan or a teacher. Well, we got both! Little mentions of each were all that I did, but I hope they turned out well.**_

_**I hope I got all the right people for the right things. I've been trying to be organized and keep track (hehe). I'm not the best at that. Let me know if there are any corrections.**_

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><p><strong>I now have my few reviews to respond to that didn't have private messaging, or weren't signed it, etc.<strong>

**-To Creative Spark: Thank you, and I love them too!**

**-To Sarah: Thank you! I'm so glad that you're liking it, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.**

**-To Thelastshanghai: Oh, thank you. I'm so glad that I could help you see a different perspective of him. It's a pretty big compliment for me, seeing as what he was like in the books. :) And to your question about the last chapter- yes, I was planning on it including what you asked (but I won't put it here, incase people don't want the surprise spoiled.)**

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><p><strong><em>So, one last, big THANK YOU to everyone who has been supporting me and reading this fic.<em>**

**_-Books101_ **

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><p><strong>[1]- In the fifth book, for instance, I was thinking about when Harry used 'lumos' to light his wand from a couple feet away. Now, I don't know if this is the right instance to think of when thinking of wandless magic, and Ginny wasn't sure if it was possible at all, seeing as how she was saying it in more of a question form. My sister thinks that it was wand magic that Harry did, not wandless, as his wandtip lit up. I disagreed, saying that he wanted his wand to light up, as he was using the spell that normally does that.<strong>

**In either case, that's just why I put a notation. You are all welcome to think what you'd like, and I'm not trying to write something false, or convince you of a point of view, or anything.**


	12. Quidditch Weekend!

_**A/N:**_

_**Yay! This is my third Sunday in a row updating. Now, I think I'm very satisfied with my work.**_

___**I don't really have anything else to say, here, except thank you very much to all of my readers and my reviewers. You all make my day that much brighter!**_

_**Also, my lone anonymous reviewer, your response is at the bottom.**_

**_Thank you!_**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or his world. I can't claim those. I just own hard copies of each of the seven books. Some more than once.<strong>

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><p>"YES!"<p>

"Reeeealy?"

"_No way!_"

There were many more exclamations of incredulousness, and the surprised and excited tones made Dudley stop short as he passed the older, smaller dining room. They never used this room, so he was unsure why there were people in there.

Upon poking his head around the door, Dudley figured the kids surrounding the standing Dedalus had probably just happened to catch him on his way through.

Of course Dedalus, unlike Hestia, looked more amused at being corralled in the dusty room than annoyed.

"Yes, yes. Hestia has been attending the practices while I've been busy, and she says you're ready."

"YES!" It was the same voice as before, the first one that Dudley had heard. And it was Colin Creevey.

"Colin! He means it!"

His younger brother looked just as hyper and excited as Colin did.

There were some other people in the room with the Creeveys. Dudley thought that even the Creevey brothers at their best wouldn't be able to keep Dedalus in the room by themselves.

Besides the brothers there was every student over thirteen standing around Dedalus.

"Dudley!" Ethan exclaimed, seeing the blond boy staring at them in puzzlement, "Dedalus and Hestia say we're ready for our first Quidditch match!"

"They say that we're good enough on the brooms not to kill each other by accident!" Fourteen-year-old Nathan shouted out with excitement.

"Ahhh." That made sense. The kids who had joined the Quidditch practices had been waiting for weeks now to hear that they were competent enough to have an actual Quidditch game. Dudley hadn't seen many of the practices, but the first one (a week after Christmas) had ended with half the kids falling from their broomsticks (luckily only a few feet off the ground). So, he was glad that they had improved from that.

It was halfway through February now. Their guests had been gone for over a month. They were back to their normal routines, classes, and study times. The Quidditch group had regular practices, the chess club was meeting Wednesdays evenings, and every night the kids spent some time in front of the radio waiting for a new _Potterwatch_, which hadn't come yet.

It was comfortable, their life in the Manor. They were cut off from the world, which meant that they were cut off from the war.

Sometimes it was easy to pretend that nothing was wrong. Though that never last for long.

"When will our first game be, Ded?" Eric asked with anticipation. Penny was almost salivating behind him, waiting for the answer. She was their star Beater in the Manor, believe it or not. She had apparently not even tried out for a spot at school, but had thrived in the smaller, close-knit environment of the Manor. She was one of their top flyers, now.

"Well, now, I think Hestia had mentioned this weekend. Saturday morning, maybe?"

"Sa-Saturday?" Colin stammered.

"But- that only gives us two days to prepare!" Penny exclaimed.

Dudley hid his smile. Yes, he was getting along with all the kids these days. And yes, some of the ones in that room weren't Quidditch nuts, just there for the entertainment. But he still didn't think they would appreciate seeing him laughing at them.

"C'mon, guys," Ethan was coaxing them now, "it's plenty of time. Now leave Ded alone and start planning."

"And don't forget that you have History class with Hestia in an hour!" Dedalus called after the majority of the kids, who started a stampede out of the door opposite the one Dudley was standing in front of.

Dudley knew the other door led to a corridor that had the most direct route to the basement.

"Thank you, Ethan," Dedalus said with a sigh of relief as Dudley entered the room. Only Dedalus, Ethan, Sally, and Dudley were left. "They're good kids, but I thought I was going to be burnt at the stake for a moment there!" He got the chuckles that he had been aiming for, but Dudley just found it odd that a wizard would joke about that. Seeing as how in olden times, there used to be tales of 'witches' be burned at the stake...

Wow. He had never considered that.

Dudley was now anxious to get to History, as he followed a chatting Sally and Ethan out of the room.

Were those _real_ witches that had been burned at the stake, all those years ago?

* * *

><p>"But Colin, if your team gets Ethan, then we'll be out a Keeper!"<p>

"Well, we'll need two of them, anyway, right? Get another one!"

"Well, yes, but we want the teams to be even! Otherwise the game will be over like _that!_" Penny snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.

"Listen, what's wrong with the practice teams?" Ethan interrupted to ask.

It was apparently the wrong thing to ask the two Quidditch enthusiasts. Well, Dudley thought with amusement, now Penny and Colin were in agreement about something.

"_What_ do you mean?" They both asked.

"Never mind." Ethan muttered.

"Listen," Colin explained, taking a deep breath as if to calm himself, "our practice teams were thrown together before we knew what kinds of talent the different players had. And people have been switching positions. So, we need to rearrange _everything_..."

He trailed off before turning to confer with Penny again. Ethan just shook his head in bewilderment, before walking away. He stopped short, seeing Dudley standing there.

"Dud! I didn't see you."

"I just got here." It was Friday morning. They had been given the day off by the adults, supposedly because they all deserved a break. Dudley guessed that it was because in truth, they didn't think that any of the kids would be concentrating on classes with the game the next day.

"So, what do you think?"

Ethan was talking about the transformation the basement had gone through. It was pretty impressive.

Someone had taken some shrunken stands out of storage and enlarged them for the spectators to sit on the next day. Dedalus had shown the younger kids a grass-cutting charm, and they were 'mowing' the lawn under the pitch.

The two teams had been named the Manor Monkeys and the Hideaway Hawks. A group had gotten together and made two banners to support the teams, which were proudly hung on the walls.

The sky was a bright blue, with puffy clouds drifting from wall to wall.

The whole room was a vision.

"It looks great, E. I'm impressed, for sure."

"Great, that's good to know. There's a whole 'committee'," and yes, Dudley snickered when Ethan actually used his fingers to make air quotes, "that took it upon themselves to make things ready for tomorrow."

"You mean, besides Penny and Colin, who are currently debating broom distribution?"

They both looked over. It was true.

"You can't have both Comets! Besides the one Nimbus they're the best we've got!"

"You have the Cleansweep260!"

"It's flashy, not a great broom. _Puuulease!_"

"They're kinda out of control," Ethan admitted. "But yes, I meant besides them. They're more concerned with the actual game. I agree that if the others hadn't planned the rest of the preparations then we'd most likely only have a game, and nothing else."

Dudley snickered, imagining the teams being surprised when there was nowhere for their supporters to sit, no flags, and grass growing up the hoop sticks.

It was interesting to picture Colin's face, but Dudley knew it probably was better that it wasn't going to become a reality.

* * *

><p><em>Knock-knock-knockity-knock<em>

The little 'skippy' beat in the middle was what let Dudley know that it wasn't one of his roommates who had their hands full, or one of the other boys who wanted to come in at the door. It probably wasn't even one of the girls, wanting Dudley, or Eric who was lying on his own bed reading, to come out.

Eric looked up with interest. His brown hair was a tangle of curls on top of his head, and even though it was after lunchtime, he looked like he hadn't even gotten out of bed yet. It _was_ their free day, after all.

"Who could that be?" He asked Dudley with a curious expression. Dudley just looked at him.

"You're closer."

It was true: Eric's bed was closer to the door.

"You're halfway to standing."

Well, it was partly true, in a slightly weird way. Dudley was sitting on his bed flipping through an old photo album of his mother's. Eric was lying on his stomach, reading a book for school.

So, Dudley was halfway to standing, by Eric's standards.

And it wasn't worth arguing.

He opened the door.

"Mum!" He hadn't even considered that it might be her. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing, dear. I just wanted to spend some time with you. How about some tea?"

"That would be great, mum."

Dudley turned back to the room. "Eric, I'm going out with my mum. Will you let Ethan know? He was going to stop back here before we went down to check on the game preparations for tomorrow."

"Sure. I'm playing Chaser on the Monkeys. Or at least, as far as Colin and Penny's last argument ended. Mind if I tag along?"

"Nope. I'll meet you both down there later, then."

"Great." Eric turned back to his book, and Dudley went into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

"Where to, mum?"

She looked slightly uncertain. "I still don't... get out, that much, dear. I meet Sue in the kitchen, and Hestia in the blue sitting room, and sometimes we go down to the basement."

It was true. Petunia might not be seeing her husband much anymore, but they shared the flat and she spent time there. She normally ate with him, as far as Dudley knew. She might have an early breakfast in the kitchen sometimes, though. Dudley wouldn't know. He ate at the last possible moment in the mornings. Sue wouldn't serve breakfast past nine am, and the boys in Dudley's room always had to rush to make it on time.

"How about I show you somewhere new, mum?"

"I'd like that," she admitted.

Dudley brought his mum to the conservatory in the middle of the Manor, on the first floor. It was out of the way, and Dudley hadn't been there with anyone but Sally. He thought Petunia would like it.

"What do you think?" He asked nervously, fidgeting right inside the door. His mum had always liked flowers and growing things, and he couldn't believe that he hadn't thought to show this to her before.

"Wow, popkin... this is marvelous!" She turned in a circle, taking it all in.

The entrance they had come through was just a wooden door with glass panes in it, though Dudley knew that there were at least two other doors that led to other random parts of the house. This one was the most convenient, though.

Directly ahead of them was a small fountain made of glass, and probably reinforced with magic, that had doves around the outside. There were vines climbing the three story high walls, and the ceiling was glass that looked directly outside to the sky. The whole room was filled with exotic flowers and plants and pots and parts of the ground were actually dirt.

It was slightly overgrown, leaving a little bit of a wild look, but one that was beautiful in its own way. Because of that it was hard to see the far walls, making it look like the room had no boundaries. It was almost possible to think they were outside of the house.

"I'm glad you like it, mum." Dudley let her continue to look around in amazement, while putting her arm through his and leading her to a small nook he'd found. The area was set with stones in the floor making a small patio surrounded by rose bushes in all colors. They let off a wonderful aroma. On the stones were two wicker patio chairs and a small table.

"Tea, mum?" Dudley asked.

"Yes, dear," She answered automatically, leaning down to sniff at a red rose.

"Mickey?" Dudley called.

There was a loud _pop_, and the little elf appeared.

"Young master Dursley in need of something?"

"Yes please, Mickey. My mum and I could use some tea, and maybe something small to eat with it?"

"Yes, young master. Tea cakes are good? Mistress Sue was cooking with Minnie this morning."

"Wow, that would be excellent, Mickey. Thank you."

The elf left and came back almost immediately, with a silver tray filled with a tea pot, two cups and saucers, and a small plate filled with some warm cakes letting off a wonderful smell.

Petunia sat down and served herself and Dudley. They made small talk for a little while. Dudley hadn't been alone with his mum like this for weeks, and it was nice to just catch up.

"How are your studies going, popkin?"

"Pretty good, mum. You knew that Dedalus had gotten the supplies that I'd need for my muggle subjects, way back in September?"

"Yes, I had heard that. They're going well?"

"Yeah, really well. Better than back at school, probably." Petunia looked impressed. "At school I admit that I wasn't really concerned with actual academics... but it's much more fun studying with the kids here. And a lot of them haven't studied muggle subjects since they started Hogwarts, but they're learning with me, now."

"That's great! I'm glad that you're actually enjoying it now—learning should be enjoyable."

"Yeah, I guess so. But, I'm also learning some magic stuff, too."

"Ma-magic?" Petunia looked amazed, but also slightly incredulous. "_How_?"

"Well, I obviously can't do any magic, but I'm learning the history of their world, and different major wizarding events. Right now we're learning about the first part of this war now, the part that ended in eighty-one."

"You mean the one that ended with Lily and James's deaths, don't you?" Petunia looked sad, but determined. She wasn't going to shy away from this. It made Dudley proud of her.

"Yes, I do. We're learning about the early stages, and how it got as bad as it did. And I was able to learn a bit about Potions, as not all of the simple ones require magic to make. Like, some of the pastes and such for medical purposes."

"Wow, that's really wonderful, Dudley." Petunia looked happy for him, truly happy. Dudley could tell that she was briefly thinking of her own missed opportunities, but was glad she didn't mention anything. They didn't need to bring up bad memories to ruin their day. "Potions was one of Lily's best subjects, if I remember correctly."

"She was probably able to do some of the really complicated ones, then. They look really hard, but I've glanced through the book a bit. Oh, and I'm also learning some Latin."

"_Latin_! Really? I didn't know you were interested in languages, Dudley."

"Well, I didn't like French classes in school, or any of the others we learned, but apparently many spells have Latin roots. So, most of the kids asked Hestia to teach them Latin, as she's apparently the best here at it. Ethan's pretty good, and he asked me if I'd like to learn too. And, I'm not bad, actually."

"Wow, good for you, Darling. I'm glad that it's all going well."

"How about you, mum. What's new?"

"Well, I've been spending more time in the kitchen with Sue, and then we've been knitting. She has one of those expandable bags that she brought with her, and she has enough yarn to last her years!"

"Wow." Dudley laughed at his mum's excitement. She didn't often show it, so it made him glad to see her so worked up. "What are you working on?"

"I'm making a scarf for this lovely girl I met the other day. I got..."

"What?" She was _blushing_, something he'd never seen. What could it be?

"Okay, fine! I got lost!"

He had to stop himself from laughing at her. With some effort he managed to straighten his face. "Really, mum? Was everything okay?"

"Yes, completely. I was trying to get to the sitting room upstairs after leaving Sue, not wanting to go back to my room." Neither of them made a comment as to why that was. "I got a little turned around. See, I hadn't been to that little room in a while, so I ended up a floor lower than I needed to be. This place is large, isn't it?" Dudley nodded his head in agreement. "Do you know how many floors there are? I can't seem to figure it out."

Dudley did chuckle there. "That's because it isn't consistent. Different parts of the Manor have different amounts. The east wing might only go to five floors, though it might be six, and the west goes to six for sure. The middle of the house is only three around here," he gestured around them and pointed to the glass roof for good measure, "but once you leave this room it goes to five and six in some places. There's a turret, somewhere, I've heard, that has seven, and another that's locked up somewhere that has a staircase up it that is the equivalent of eight floors."

"Wow." Petunia looked thoughtful. "So it varies, then."

"Yes. And I have reason to believe that it changes, sometimes, in the more abandoned and less used parts of the house, but no one can be sure."

"No, indeed." Petunia murmured. She looked bewildered, and Dudley could understand.

It was quite a house.

"Um, mum, what happened? When you got lost?"

"Oh, yes, darling. Of course. I had no idea where I had ended up, and I didn't know where to go. I was afraid that I'd get even more turned around."

"Very possible." Dudley agreed.

"Yes, quite. But then a sweet girl came up the stairs and asked if I needed help. She escorted me to the sitting room, and then sat and chatted with me for a while. She said that her mother used to knit her scarves every winter time, and she lost her mother not too long ago."

Dudley sighed sadly. "Almost all of the kids here have some sad story or other," he told her. "I think everyone gets them in wartime."

Petunia sighed too. "Yes. It so happens that my sad story was the end of the last part of the war."

"Anyway, that's nice that you're making her a scarf." Dudley told her, moving the subject to safer ground. "Which girl was it?"

"Her name is Sally-Anne." Petunia announced, causing Dudley to spit out a little of the tea he had just sipped.

"Sorry! Sorry," he said, mopping up the tea from the table and his jeans with a napkin from the tray. "It's just that, I know Sally," he said, explaining his actions. He didn't think he wanted his mum to know quite yet, though, that he and Sally were... whatever they were. "We're friends, mum. She's one of the few kids my age. She's very nice."

"Yes, she is." Petunia looked thoughtful. "Tell, me, popkin," she said suddenly, "what did that boy in your room earlier mean when he mentioned a game?"

"What? Oh, that." It took Dudley a moment to remember what she was talking about. "That was Eric, my roommate who's sixteen. He was talking about the first Quidditch game. It's going to be tomorrow morning. Have you heard about it?"

"No, nothing."

"Would you like to go with me?"

"Oh... yes. I would. Thank you, Dudley."

"Of course, mum. I'll meet you here after breakfast, how about? We'll go down together."

"Sounds marvelous, dear."

It was decided.

* * *

><p>"Dudley!" He had just finished descending the stairs to the Quidditch pitch, and immediately he spotted Ethan and Eric waving at him. "Over here!"<p>

"Hey!" He shouted back, jogging over to them. It still constantly amazed him that there was this huge room, under the house (but looking like it was outside) that had to be _jogged_ across.

The training that the kids had undertaken was still going well, though with the game they'd put off their sessions for a few days. Of course, the Quidditch players had been saying that the running and weight exercises had been doing wonders for their endurance, and the agility training was good practice for the bludgers.

Dudley had been getting pretty fit by himself these last months—especially compared to what he used to be like—but even he could see a difference in himself the last month. For instance, after making himself run at his best each training, and going downstairs by himself on off days, he wasn't out of breath running to his friends on the other end of the room.

"How are things?" Dudley asked, looking around. The decorating was done, it looked like, with more banners and streamers and such on the bleachers. Colin and Penny were looking over equipment, but didn't seem to be arguing right now. Other kids were scattered around the room, and some were just flying in circles above them.

Ethan and Eric were sitting on the bottom step of one set of bleachers, bent over a piece of parchment, which was on a clipboard. To Dudley's amusement, they were using a muggle ballpoint pen. He loved seeing the two worlds meshed like that.

"Everything looks good," Ethan said to Dudley with a smile, pointing out each of the things that Dudley had noticed on his way over to them. "Want to see the final lineup?" He asked.

"Sure. Do you guys have a full fourteen players?" Dudley was curious as to what they'd do if not.

"Not really..." Eric said. He then explained, "See, we have a couple of twelve year olds who aren't too bad. And, well, they can play at that age at Hogwarts, but Sue and Hestia weren't sure about if they wanted them to with so little training. And both were a little tentative about it... so..."

"So, we're cutting one Chaser on each team. We were going to cut it to one Beater and bludger, too," Ethan added, "but the bludgers we have are a little old and not as dangerous as the ones they use at school, so we figured it would be safe enough to keep them normal with only four chasers. We just didn't want it to be... uneven."

"Because, there must be a reason there's the number of players that there are." Eric pointed out with a smirk.

"Sounds good." Dudley said. "The lineup?"

They handed him the clipboard, and he looked down at it. The top of the page had two simple lists of the teams, and then there were some other notes, all in a crisp, clear, blocky writing that Dudley recognized as Ethan's.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Lineups_

_Manor Monkeys:_

_Colin— Beater & Captain_

_Eric —Chaser_

_Kathy —Chaser_

_Meggie — Beater_

_Lucy—Keeper _

_Nathan—Seeker_

_Hideaway Hawks:_

_Penny—Seeker and Captain_

_Dennis —Chaser_

_Sally-Anne—Chaser _

_Robert—Beater_

_Donna—Beater_

_Ethan—Keeper_

_Referee: Dedalus_

_Commentator(s): Justin & Molly_

_Set-up: Penny, Colin, Dedalus_

_Clean-up: Nathan, Kathy, Hestia_

_Refreshments: Sally-Anne, Robert, Sue, Mickey, Minnie_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Looks good, guys." Dudley told them. "How did people get picked for the extra stuff?" He knew that the Flinch-Fletchley siblings had volunteered to commentate, but he hadn't heard about the other things.

"Um... mostly volunteering?" Eric made it sound like a question, looking at Ethan for confirmation.

"Yes, it was." Ethan agreed. "Hestia and Ded didn't trust the kids to get the equipment and all by themselves, so they asked who would help them, and then chose who would be on for this game, and who would be next time."

"There were more offers?" Dudley knew the kids here were nice, but it seemed odd that _any_ teenagers would voluntarily accept extra work.

"Yeah, everyone is pretty excited about the 'Quidditch season'," it was said with fond mocking in his tone, "starting, and they all want to be a part of it." Eric looked at Ethan with a smirk, and added, "of course, since Colin and Penny were both so _enthusiastic_ about everything, they got no choice, and were put on set-up first thing tomorrow morning."

Ethan smirked back. "It was my idea," he confessed to Dudley. "They've been driving me absolutely bonkers!"

All three laughed for a while at that.

"Oh!" Dudley said, remembering something his mum had said, "Can you add my mum to the food part?"

"Oh! Um, sure," Ethan agreed, grabbing the pen and jolting Petunia's name down. "I hadn't realized she was coming."

As accepting as the kids were of Dudley, none of them quite knew what to make of his mum. His dad, on the other hand, they all seemed to get _too_ well, judging by their total avoidance of the subject.

"Well, she and Hestia and I had talked ages ago about going to the first game together, and I just saw her earlier and brought it up."

"Oh! That's right!" Eric burst out. "Ethan, Dudley told me to tell you that he went out with his mum, and that he'll meet both of us down at the pitch to check on preparations this afternoon."

Both Dudley and Ethan stared at Eric for a moment, slack jawed.

"Uh, mate?" Ethan questioned. Eric blushed a little.

"Sorry, forgot to tell you earlier."

Dudley just _had_ to laugh at Eric's expression, as he sat looking like a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"It's okay, mate." Ethan reassured him. Turning to Dudley he said, "He never got a chance to tell me, because I was in a hurry when I stopped by the room. When I saw you weren't there, I just assumed you'd meet me here. Eric barely managed to keep up with me on my way down here."

"Let me guess," Dudley sighed, "Penny and Colin had another argument or emergency of some sort?"

"No uniforms." Ethan answered simply.

"Oh. Do there need to be?" Dudley had never been to an actual Quidditch game, but now that he thought about it, the pictures that Colin and the rest had showed him had pictured some games, and there had been red and green uniform robes on the flyers.

"Not really, but they'd like some." Eric answered. "I think Sue is going to figure something out."

"My mum was on her way to find her, when I came down here. She'll help Sue find something, I'm sure."

"They'll live, if not." Ethan said with an unconcerned shrug.

"So, everything's about ready?"

The three of them turned and faced the room, looking over the progress and the happy figures scattered all over.

"Yeah, I'd say so."

"I think we're ready."

* * *

><p>"And on the Monkeys we have Captain Colin, Eric, Kathy, Meggie, Lucy, aaaannnnnd, Nathan!"<p>

'The crowd', being the kids not playing, the adults, Dudley, his mum, and the house elves, cheered when Justin was done.

"At school," Hestia leaned over to say to Dudley and Petunia as the players zoomed around the field, getting in position, "They use a megaphone just like the one I gave Justin and Molly. Minerva McGonagall supervises the commentator. I hear it used to get pretty competitive, and Lee Jordan used to be the commentator."

Dudley laughed happily, getting into the thrill of the game. Dedalus was down in the field, being the referee.

"I want a good, fun game here; be safe all!" He announced, bouncing happily. "Here's the snitch!" The glint of gold was only there for a brief instant to Dudley, but he noticed that Penny and Nathan both followed _something_ with their eyes for a moment. They were good.

Then the bludgers were released. There had been wards put up to protect the spectators, but even so Dudley cringed away a little. He hoped the Beaters were good, to prevent injuries to their teammates.

Sue was ready with a first aid kit, at least, just in case.

"And now, three!... two!... one!... GO!"  
>From his broomstick, he tossed the Quaffle straight up, before zooming away to referee from a safe distance.<p>

Dudley was instantly enthralled in the game. The movements, the speed, it was like nothing that he'd ever seen.

"Eric of the Monkeys with the Quaffle, moving in towards the hoops, quick pass to Kathy, who avoids interference with the Hawk Chasers, moving back to hoops, pass back to Eric, and he scores!"

Justin's commentary was the bare facts, and he sounded just a tad pompous, but he was quick and kept up with the action, so that was something. Dudley watched the Chasers, who were in the thick of it, but there was so much more going on! Bludgers kept trying to knock people off their brooms, but they kept dodging and the Beaters _were_ pretty good, knocking the black balls to the opposing players.

The Seekers pretty much stayed above it all, circling, eyes peering for the elusive gold ball.

"Another score! Monkeys 20 to Hawks 10, and the Quaffle is caught by Sally-Anne, Hawks in possession!"

That was another thing—Dudley hadn't known that Sally played Quidditch! She was pretty good, though.

"Sally-Anne throws to Dennis, who then gives it back to Sally, back to Dennis, and Dennis scores—right into the hoop over there on the side! The right side! Of course, it was fumbled, and he did that weird spin thing at the end there... dear me, did he mean to do that flip?" Dudley chuckled loudly. Justin's little sister Molly was helping commentate. She was only eleven, and her comments were pretty amusing.

"Molly! You don't say things like that when commentating!" Justin didn't seem to realize that he was still talking to the entire room.

"Why not? He totally did! But you rock, Dennis!" She shouted to him, causing the spectators and players alike to laugh.

"You too, Molls!" Dennis called back. Justin looked extremely put out.

"Hawks in possession!" He called, getting back into his role as announcer, "Kathy to Eric who flies down the pitch, approaching the hoops, but, OH!" The spectators echoed that, as a bludger hit Eric at an angle, just enough to get him to drop the ball and hold his elbow for a moment in pain.

"Wow!" Molly started up, "A great bludger hit by Donna, who turned out to be a great Beater—who would have known?"

"Thanks!" Donna called sarcastically as she zoomed past the siblings.

"I mean that in the nicest way possible!" Molly called back.

Again, everyone was laughing.

"Donna's bludger caused Eric to lose the Quaffle, caught underneath him by Dennis, who is flying up the field, passing to Sally, back to Dennis, who—oh! Near miss!" Justin yelled. "Robert saves Dennis from the bludger, hits it towards Meggie, who beat it to her fellow Beater Colin, who hits it back at Dennis, who is approaching the hoops now!"

Dudley was on the edge of his seat as the action continued.

"Goal for the Hawks!" Molly shouted out. "And Colin is now chasing his brother across the field... Wait. Colin! HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE THE QUAFFLE!"

Dudley was holding his stomach as he laughed hysterically. These people were funny.

Eventually Colin went back to the game, letting Dennis stop running from him.

Dudley suspected that in a more professional setting the game and commentary would be less casual and friendly, but he liked this.

The game lasted for another hour, when the score was:

"90:80 to the Hideaway Hawks!" Justin announced. "And Dennis of the Hawks in possession again!"

"You know," Molly commented casually, making Dudley smile in anticipation of her next amusing remark, "I think next time we shouldn't have Colin and Dennis on separate teams—Colin's got to pay attention to the other players and not just concentrate the bludgers on his brother, and Dennis, you know, you're not supposed to hit the other players with the Quaffle..."

"And that's a penalty for the Monkeys!" Justin announced, bringing about Molly's point that Dennis really wasn't supposed to throwing the Quaffle at his brother's head.

"Then again," Molly continued as if her brother hadn't interrupted, "it might even be worse if they were on the same team and doing the same things they are now... Colin would know not to hit bludgers at his own team members, right?"

More laughter.

"Yeah! I know that!" Colin shouted at her, right as Kathy threw her penalty shot and got it clear through the left hoop.

"Oh! And Ethan doesn't stop the shot—score for Monkeys!"

Ethan was actually a very good Keeper, for the most part, Dudley thought. He was certainly better than Lucy, though she wasn't _bad_, just a tad slower than Ethan was.

"Wait—Nathan has seen something!"

Dudley—along with everyone else in the stands—immediately spun to find the Seekers.

Nathan was diving toward the ground, but Penny wasn't far behind him.

The rest of the game seemed suspended as the players all watched the Seekers sprinting for the snitch. Dudley couldn't see what they were following, but it seemed Molly could.

"And Penny inches forward, gaining on Nathan, they're neck to neck, but the snitch is still mere feet ahead of them—and it dives! Look, Justin!" She was pointing, jumping up and down, and Justin was squinting after her pointing finger. He didn't seem to see it, though.

"Yes, yes. Quite right, Molly."

"And he's closer, then her, and now—Penny turns up, following the snitch a hint before Nathan, and she catches it!"

Dudley had been holding his breath along with everyone else in the room, but he released it at that with a loud laugh of joy. Everyone cheered, standing up in the seats, hearing as Justin announced, "Penny has caught the snitch!" She was flying to her teammates now, her closed fist in the air over her head. "Final score is Hideaway Hawks 240 and Manor Monkeys 90—HAWKS WIN!"

Then people were clamoring and yelling and the players were all landing while shouting, even the Monkeys with large grins on their faces, and Dudley was one of many running to the field to greet his friends and congratulate them.

It had been quite a first Quidditch match for their home.

* * *

><p>"Mum?" Dudley approached his mother, who was serving fruit to kids at one end of a table, with Sue and the other helpers serving sandwiches and drinks and desserts.<p>

"Yes, dear?" Petunia asked, heaping some strawberries on Dudley's plate.

"This is my friend and roommate, Ethan." He pulled his friend forward by his arm, making Ethan face his mother. It was about time they met. "He was Keeper for the Hawks, remember?"

"Yes, I do." Petunia held out a ladleful of strawberries, and Ethan nodded. "You did a marvelous job, Ethan." She told him, giving him the red fruit. "It was the first game I'd seen."

"Thank you, Mrs. Dursley." He told her politely.

"Of course. You both make sure to eat some sandwiches and not go straight for Sue's brownies, you hear, Dudley?"

Dudley knew how completely odd it was that _his_ mum was saying that, but he ignored it. It was better for her to start caring late than never.

"Sure, mum."

As they were walking away Ethan said, "Sue made brownies! We need some of those!"

"Yes, I did." They turned, and Sue was behind the next section of the table. "Minnie has some, but can I interest you in a sandwich?" They both gave their approval of that idea, and Sue smiled at them as she served them. "The game was excellent. That was some good playing, Ethan. Why didn't you ever play for Gryffindor?"

"Um... I'm not sure. Oliver Wood was there for most of my earlier days... he was Captain and went on to play professionally, Dud," Ethan added for Dudley sake, "and he was really good, and he left when I was a fourth year, and they didn't do Quidditch my next year because of the Tournament, and by the time I was a sixth year I didn't have the desire to try out. It would only have been for two years, and I didn't think I wanted that kind of commitment with my last year, and NEWTs and all."

Dudley had heard all about NEWTs. They sounded difficult, and he agreed with Ethan's decision.

"Besides, I think Ron Weasley did well for Gryffindor." Ethan said it finality, and Sue didn't push the issue. Dudley got the impression it had just been innocent curiosity anyway. He wouldn't be surprised if Ethan got asked that a lot in the next few days, now that people had seen him play. The same would probably be asked of some of the other, older players that had turned out to be very good.

"These shirts are really something, Sue." Ethan changed the subject. "Thanks so much. How did you manage it so quickly?"

Dudley agreed that Sue had managed to find an excellent solution to the uniform problem, and she did it in less than twenty-four hours.

The Hawks shirts were a sky blue, and the Monkeys a bright orange. The front said the team name, and on the back was the position, and the mascot of the team (obviously, a monkey and a hawk).

"Oh, it was nothing, dear. I was glad to help. Petunia actually helped me come up with the solution. We found a dozen old T-shirts and I magically dyed them the colors we needed. She then came up with the design and I spelled them onto the shirts, and I added an adjustment charm. This way the smaller players won't need theirs to be taken in, and you can change the positions around without needing new shirts."

"Well, it was brilliant, Sue. Thank you. And thank your mum, Dudley, won't you?" He added to the bemused blond.

"Yeah, of course."

"Let's go socialize, Dud."

Ethan threw an arm over Dudley's shoulders, and led him to the bleachers where all their friends were sitting. Sally and Penny were teasing Eric and Nathan about their loss, but the boys were taking it very well. Colin was—once again—chasing his brother, only this time on the ground, and Kathy was letting some of the younger kids have a turn on the brooms, with her and Hestia watching very closely. Molly was up right then, and Justin looked close to panicking, causing Kathy to laugh at him.

Sue and his mother were chatting as they ate off paper plates, something Dudley watched with open amusement (_his_ mother, _paper_ plates, it just didn't sound right).

It was a perfect day.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: Thank you for reading! I hope it was as good as everyone hoped, as it was finally time for a Quidditch game!_**

******My Reviewer, Sarah: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the story and that you're happy with the relationship pace- it's not the focal point of the story, so I'm glad it works for you. Keep reading!**

**_And for those of you who want to see Dudley on a broom, somehow, don't worry! It will happen, I just didn't have room or time here. I keep meaning to make the chapters a little tiny bit shorter, but this was over 6000 words again!_**

******_Thanks again!_**

**_-Books101_**


	13. School, A Date, and A Special Surprise

**_A/N: Hello, all! So, I'm still on time here. I'd wanted to update Sunday, and it my part of the world it still is! So, I hope you enjoy._**

**_This is in part late because I couldn't stop writing. So, it's pretty long. I hope you like it. (It's my longest, yet, I think! 16 Microsoft Word pages!)_**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: All the same apply- I don't own anything related to Harry Potter. I just wish I did.<strong>

* * *

><p>Dudley skidded to an abrupt halt in front of the plain wooden door, bending in half and bracing his hands on his knees, panting for breath. The moment he had his breath back he pushed open the door, wincing as it squeaked, and slid into the room.<p>

The students—less than ten of them—looked over from their transfigured desks in the makeshift classroom. Hestia was standing in the front by the blackboard, and she had a frown on her face.

Dudley grimaced as he made his way quickly to his desk on the far side of the room, near the front but by the window. Hestia's class was the absolute last one any of them wanted to be late for.

"Thank you for joining us, Dudley." She said in a slightly sarcastic voice, but then she turned her attention back to outlining the lessons they'd be doing this week.

Dudley hurriedly pulled his spiral notebook out, opening it to the last notes they'd been taking on Friday the week before, and pulling out a black pen, pulling the cap off with his teeth.

The students used a variety of different supplies in their classes: the teachers didn't really care as long they got their assignment done. Some used notebooks and lined paper with pens, other with pencils. Some used parchment, quills and ink. Dudley had tried to write with a quill once, but had quickly learned that his handwriting was illegible. Sometimes he'd use parchment, though, if it was most convenient.

He really hadn't _meant_ to be late! It was just that he had stopped by to see his mum at her flat after breakfast, and had ended up in another shouting match with Vernon. It was the absolute worst way to start his morning, and on Monday in particular! It was a horrible way to start his entire week! But Vernon had been harping on about his mum, and he couldn't just stand there and let his dad belittle his mum that way.

He was going to talk to Sue and Hestia about helping him convince his mum to move out and get her own rooms. There were certainly enough of them in this place, ones that might need some cleaning up but that would be perfectly suitable.

"Hestia?" It was Lucy, one of his classmates. At Hestia's nod she questioned, "Is working with the younger ones in the plans for this week?"

While the teachers taught according to their specialties, they tended to stay with the same class for two to three weeks before switching to the next. Last week Hestia had started on Advanced Theory and History with the oldest class, those from fifteen to Ethan, who was the oldest at eighteen. Sue was working on Charms and Transfiguration with the ones from twelve to fourteen, and Dedalus was helping the beginners with Beginning Theory and Herbology and the way plants could be used with Potions. Defense Against the Dark Arts was taught by all three teachers at their discretion, as their specialties could all be used in Defense.

Some weeks the teachers had the oldest students help the younger ones, like in study groups, only during class time.

"No, not this week, Lucy. Maybe next week."

Lucy shrugged nonchalantly. Obviously it hadn't been that important to her.

Of course Dudley couldn't do all of those subjects, so he couldn't help with that, but he _did _like learning what he could, and watching the magic being preformed and practiced. He would stay in the room and work on his muggle subjects—normally if some corresponded in some way to the magical ones he'd plan his schedule that way (like Chemistry and Potions). Dedalus knew a lot about muggle subjects, and he helped Dudley with scheduling.

Last week they'd been talking about Magical Theory, for the most part. Back when Dudley had talked to his mum in late January about classes, Hestia had been talking about the magical world during various wars. It had been in general terms, but they'd had to switch to Dedalus and Potions the week after before Hestia could move onto specific instances.

The last Friday, though, Hestia had started talking about the war with the dark wizard Grindewald, and how it had compared to the muggle war World War Two. That had been particularly interesting to Dudley. **  
><strong>

"Alright then," Dudley winced as he realized he'd completely missed Hestia's schedule for the week (he'd have to talk to Ethan later), "Can someone recap what we ended with last week?" No one raised their hands. "Okay, Colin, please."

That was something that Hestia did that the others didn't—she was much more like a real teacher, not just a supervising adult. Dedalus and Sue knew what they were talking about, but they didn't push quite as hard as Hestia did.

"Well, you were talking about how the war with Grindewald led to the one with You-Know-Who in ways no one had predicted. Like, the economy was suffering beneath the surface and no one saw it. It lasted through the fifties and affected places like Diagon Alley. And, a lot of people were lost in the war. Some were living in muggle areas and died in muggle bombing and such."

"That's right. Thank you, Colin." Hestia started walking back and forth in the front of the room a little, getting into her lecturing mode. Dudley got read to take notes.

"We are going to call You-Know-Who 'Tom' in this class for the duration of this unit. It's not as much of a mouthful, and according to Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore, that is his birth name."

Dudley heard some gasps, and he understood. The snake-like, evil man he'd heard

about had once been _born_, like a human! And with a name like _Tom_, of all names!

"Tom's reign began with small instances, he crept into our society through small attacks that couldn't be traced in any way, word of dark materials being bought through illegal channels, shops being robbed of expensive, dangerous items. It wasn't reported, officials in the Ministry didn't know what to make of it at first. They were still recovering in ways the public didn't see from the war with Grindewald—they didn't think it was anything to worry about."

Dudley was taking notes hurriedly, hoping he'd be able to read his handwriting later.

"What Colin said about the many deaths was correct. Grindewald had the most influence over near Germany, but his reach soon stretched even farther than Tom ever managed, which is throughout Eastern Europe, all the way to us, and to places as far as some contacts in America."

_Grindewald—farther than Tom achieved_

_Eastern Europe_

_Germany_

_America?_

_Here_

"But as things became more serious, people started to notice. It was around this time that a sign was being seen at places of murders. The murders weren't being covered up anymore, and the public was starting to get nervous."

Hestia hit the desk with her wand, and a projector started to rise up from it, like it was growing from the wood. Dudley wasn't even surprised—not much about everyday magics stunned him anymore.

The whiteboard became a screen. Hestia was able to put pictures on the projector, or tap it with her wand to play slideshows or movies, and if she used her finger to point to something on it her hand would be projected—she'd used it a couple times before. Now she tapped it with her wand to show a picture.

Dudley thought it looked rather sinister, and a couple of kids gasped. Dudley glanced beside his seat to Sally, and saw her hands over her mouth and tears in her eyes.

"Sally?" He muttered. She glances over, lowered her hands, and gave him a wan smile.

_I'm alright_, she mouthed back. Dudley wasn't so sure, but he turned his attention back to Hestia as she did.

"Does anyone know what this is?"

The picture depicted a smoky, green image of a skull with a snake coming out from the mouth.

Dudley drew an approximation of this in his notebook.

Hestia looked around the room. Justin's hand was up in the air a little uncertainly. "Justin?" She called out. "Can you tell us?"

"It's called, um, the Dark Mark. It's You-Know—oh, Tom's sign. It caused a lot of terror, right?"

Hestia nodded. "Perfect. Thank you, Justin. Now one knows where it came from, but yes, this is Tom's sign. His followers, the Death Eaters, are now known to have this tattooed on their left forearms, but we didn't know this back when he was just starting to emerge."

_Dark Mark: Green, smoky skull. Snake coming out of mouth._

_ CREEPY_

_Voldemort's sign_

_Put above places of murders_

_Tattooed on follower's arms_

_ WHO DOES THAT?_

Dudley didn't see any reason to avoid writing Voldemort's real name, as long as he made sure not to say it. It was his little way of rebellion, he supposed.

"At this point," Hestia continued, "The Ministry was taking action. This was about the year 1970. He'd been around a lot longer, and causing trouble since the 40's and 50's, but he wasn't known by his new title until the 70's, and his Death Eaters weren't known about.

"I was in school in the 70's, so I wasn't in the conflict directly, but it influenced our every moment. It was growing up during a time of war, much like your generation."

_1940's-50's beginning of Voldemort_

_1970's emerging to wizarding world_

_Ministry took notice_

_Actually took action?_

"So, what I'm saying is what I've learned—I wasn't actually a part of it."

"It's still better than anything Binns would teach—and he's been around for all of it!" Colin called out to much laughter. Dudley joined in—he'd heard about the horrible History teacher at Hogwarts. It seemed to many students they considered it naptime.

"You know, Colin, I'm not sure if that's really a compliment, considering the comparison." Hestia said with a small smile.

"Aw, just take it as one." Colin advised. "It was meant that way."

"Well then, thank you."

Hestia quickly moved on. Dudley grinned to himself. She'd quickly learned that this class could easily become distracted and get her also involved in a tangent conversation. Yes it was a small class, but they were all very close to each other. It made them more likely to get distracted, somehow.

"The Ministry soon found out about a new group of Dumbledore's, called the Order of the Phoenix."

"Wasn't that kind of a secret organization?" Robert called out. "They mentioned something like that in one of the _Potterwatch_ episodes!" Also, hadn't Ginny or one of the Weasleys mentioned that at one point too?

Hestia nodded, acknowledging the point.

"Yes, that was this time around, when Fudge, our former Minister, was denying Tom's return and discrediting Dumbledore and Harry. So, the Order had to be reformed in secret. Many of the members were new recruits who knew that something was wrong in the world. Most of the old ones had died or been put out of action in the first war.

"This was happening the summer of 1995. There was enough left of the 'old crowd', as they called themselves, to get us started. I wasn't in the Order last time—I was fresh out of school shortly before Halloween of 1981 when it ended, and I took a job with traveling. I helped from overseas a little, but I wasn't in the area.

"In those days, the Order and the Ministry worked together to help each other. Tom was never close to taking over the Ministry. He had his spies there, of course, so they had to be careful about who shared information, and how much. The officials at the Ministry who worked with the Order understood that.

"While this time around some Order members, like Kingsley Shacklebolt, were also spies for Dumbledore, eyes in the Ministry in the Auror department and such. Back then, they worked for Dumbledore with encouragement and support from the Ministry. For the most part."

_1970's Ministry worked with Order of the Phoenix_

_Order led by Albus Dumbledore_

_Voldemort had spies in Ministry—but not close to taking over_

_Not like this time_

_1995—Order reformed_

_Some old members, but more new._

_Old ones had died_

Dudley had actually forgotten that horrible image on the screen—the Dark Mark. He was startled when Hestia tapped her wand on the projector and it went away—but it was kind of a relief. It was a terrible image.

She set a photograph on the Projector, and tapped it with her wand to focus the image in the blown up picture. It looked like a lot of people posed for a wizarding picture. They were all pushing and shoving each other good naturedly, and many were hidden behind the ones in front.

"This is a picture that Alastor Moody gave me last summer. Actually, shortly before he died." Hestia looked sickened for a moment, and Dudley abruptly remembered their arrival to the house, Kingsley's patronus, and strong, fierce Hestia sobbing into Dedalus's shoulder.

_Merlin_. He'd forgotten that. How could he have forgotten that someone had died that day?

Hestia pulled herself together so fast that the students probably hadn't noticed much at all.

"This was the original Order of the Phoenix. He told me all about them, when he showed me the picture. He was one of the ones left. Even though I wasn't in the Order, I did know many of these people personally, whether from school of personal acquaintances from after school." She cleared her throat.

"Moody explained who each person was to me. Many of them died in the first war. As you can see here, Moody and Dedalus are here." She pointed, then used her finger to nudge them over. She continued to name each person, and she gave a short descrpition of each. However, she was careful not to give too many details about the many deaths.

Dudley was grateful. He didn't want to look at all those smiling, oblivious faces and know that they were blown up or hunted down or whatever else the Death Eaters did.

She did give them some details, though.

"This is Gideon Prewett. His brother isn't in this picture. His name was Fabian, and they were twins." Dudley looked at the man she was pointing to. He was tall, with a wide, slightly goofy grin to his face. He was also a redhead. He looked kind of like...

"The Prewett brothers were the elder twin brothers of Mrs. Weasley." Hestia unknowingly confirmed his suspicions. Gideon looked like another set of twins they all knew and loved.

"They were real heroes, from what I've heard." Hestia said softly. "It took five Death Eaters to bring them down." The class grew quiet for a moment, in a moment of remembrance for two heroes.

"These," Hestia pushed the figures over again, "Are Frank and Alice Longbottom."

"Neville's parents?" Someone called out with surprise prominent in their voice.

"Neville Longbottom? The boy leading the students at Hogwarts?" Another asked.

"Yeah. He's a seventh year in Gryffindor."

Hestia seemed amused and let the students answer each other, but then she took control of the discussion again. "Yes, they're Neville's parents. They were very highly talented and respected Aurors in their day. They got directly accepted into the program after school. I knew them both, though I was the slightest bit younger than them at school. They were both very incredible individuals."

She had a note of sorrow in her voice, and Dudley remembered with horror where he had hear the name Alice before. Hestia and his mum had talked about his Aunt Lily's best friend.

The one that Hestia had told Petunia, with tears in her voice, that had been tortured into insanity.

He swallowed hard. "What happened to them?" Colin asked in a subdued voice. All the students seemed that way. Dudley supposed it was one thing to hear about random strangers who died at heroes, but none of them knowing what had happened to their fellow student's parents? Their friend's parents?

"Shortly after Tom was defeated in 1981, his followers began to be picked up, slowly, to be brought to Azkaban. However, some were still free. Four or five of them tracked the Longbottoms down, thinking that Alice and Frank would know what happened to their master." Hestia took a deep breath. "They were tortured into insanity and are permanent patients in St. Mungos."

Students gasped. Someone sobbed. Hestia nodded in understanding.

"It was supposed to be safe. The war was over. And yet, terrible things were still able to happen."

After giving them a moment to process, Hestia moved on to the last people in the picture, all the way over by themselves.

It was obvious that they were friends. They were sitting on a wall of some sort, a couple of them standing, and some of them had their arms around each other.

"And here, of course, we have James and Lily Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew."

She told the story, again, of Pettigrew's betrayal for those who had somehow managed not to hear it. She told the story of the Potter's bravery, and how even she wasn't sure how many times they had faced Voldemort and managed to escape the encounter and survive to tell the tale.

Besides Dorcas Meadowes, they were the only ones in the picture killed directly by Voldemort himself.

Dudley just stared at his aunt and uncle—the ones he had never known. They looked older than the pictures he's seen Hestia show his mum. This was only a few years after the ones he'd seen, but already they looked battle-weary, tired... Lily Potter's eyes finally looked more like her son's. Harry's eyes were old-looking.

And yet they still were in love. He saw the picture-James look down at Lily with adoration in his eyes. Picture-Lily took James's hand in her own without looking. Picture-Sirius threw his arm over James's shoulder with exuberance.

They were so young, and they had no idea what their lives would bring so shortly after this picture.

Dudley was grateful that Hestia quickly moved on.

He'd kept count. There had been twenty-one people in that picture—or at least, that was as close as he could estimate. Only twelve had survived the first war. And two of them are in a hospital forever, one was a traitor, and one had been wrongly imprisoned. So, only eight had been able to go on with their lives.

And only nine were alive now—two of those nine still in a hospital, and one still a traitor.

Out of twenty-one, there were only six functioning and living their lives. And only about half of that were involved with the Order of the Phoenix. It was totally depressing to think about.

Hestia had moved on. Dudley quickly pulled his attention to the subject. She'd be giving them a test soon, and he needed to take notes.

"Now, Tom didn't just fight with his human Death Eaters." Hestia told the class. Dudley blinked. That was news to him. "Not last time, and not this time either, though we're still unsure as to extent of his support this time around.

"Does anyone know any dark creatures who supported Tom in the first war?"

A hand timidly went up. It was Robert.

"Yes?" Hestia nodded at him.

"Um, the Dementors, for sure. They joined him this time too."

"Correct, thank you, Robert. Anyone else? Another one?"

"The Giants!" Someone called out.

"Yes, correct Colin, but hand, next time."

"Sorry." But he didn't look very sorry, just proud to have answered the question.

"So Tom had both the Dementors and Giants on his side, and he recruited some other dark creatures. Does anyone know what?"

"Um... werewolves?" Someone asked.

"Correct. While werewolves themselves are not evil, the Ministry was never very kind to them. They were promised freedom and who-knows-what-else if they joined Tom. Many did."

_Dark Creatures That Sided with Voldemort:_

_Dementors_

_Giants_

_Werewolves_

Dudley tried to picture kind, soft-spoken Remus as a vicious killer for Voldemort, someone labeled as a 'dark creature', and couldn't. He was gentle. He had friends, family, and as good of a life as he could have in this war.

Dudley could imagine what some of the enemy werewolves would be like. He hoped like hell that he'd never meet one.

"Now, who knows the proper way to defend oneself from Dementors? And who knows about the most recent—before the Ministry was overthrown—piece of werewolf legislation?"

Hands went up, and the lesson went on.

Later Hestia discussed the war from the Aurors' points of view, and what the world was like leading directly up to Halloween of 1981. Apparently, the dreaded Unforgivable Curses had been legalized for the Aurors' use, against the Death Eaters near the end of the war. Dudley wasn't sure what he thought about that.

"It was good, right?" A girl asked. "After all, they were the bad guys, and the Aurors needed to be able to protect themselves and the community. And if they needed to use force, wasn't that better than being beaten?"

"Force doesn't necessitate the Unforgivables, though!" Someone else debated. Hestia was leaning back against her desk, watching with intense interest. "We saw them preformed by that Moody imposter—they're evil curses. There are other spells that can do similar, and that the Aurors should have used instead."

The class got heated then, people taking sides and having opinions. Dudley didn't feel he could relate as well. He didn't know the particulars of the curses, and hadn't learned about them like these people had. It was still a fascinating debate, though.

"Okay, enough of that." Hestia finally broke in. "We can return to this later, if you all want. But for now, who can tell me what was left over from the war cleanup in 1981 that clearly impacted how events spiraled out of control in 1995?"

And they were off.

* * *

><p>Dudley knocked on the door, nervous despite himself. He hoped that she'd say yes. After all, he wasn't sure what he'd do if she didn't!<p>

"Coming! Coming!" The door opened wide, showing Sue with yarn tangled around her arms. "Ah, Dudley! Do come in."

"Ah... thanks." Dudley followed the woman into her rooms, looking around curiously in spite of his nerves.

Sue lived in a small set of rooms. From what he could see from the entryway, there was a tiny kitchenette and a living room, and a door leading to what he would assume was a bedroom.

"Sit, sit." Sue encouraged him, gesturing to a soft, worn looking couch in a paisley print. When Dudley sat, though, it was very comfortable.

"All right there, Sue?" Dudley asked.

Sue was a kind woman, and seemed to mother the kids to some extent. She was always around with a smile and a cookie, though Merlin help any child who interrupted her cooking.

Right now, though, she was looking a tad ridiculous, trying to find the end of the skein of yarn, to roll it back into a ball.

"Oh, this is just infuriating!" She exclaimed. "I had taken out the arm of a sweater I was knitting, because it didn't match the other one, not at all! And now it's just tangled..." She trailed off, then sighed. "Now where did I put it?"

What did that mean? And then to Dudley's complete bewilderment, she started rummaging on the coffee table, looking under patterns and books and yarn in a rainbow of other colors.

"Sue?"

"Ah-ha!" She exclaimed, and straightened up holding her wand triumphantly. Dudley smiled, seeing her so pleased. But his face quickly morphed into one of shock, when she twirled her wand in a spiral, said something in Latin, and her yarn untangled and rolled itself into a ball!

Wow. And he'd said nothing about magic would shock him now. Who was he kidding?

Sue let out a sigh of relief, sticking her wand back into the bun of hair on her head, and gently tossing the yarn to its brethren.

"That's better. Now, Dudley. Can I get you some tea?"

"No, I'm fine, Sue. Thanks, though."

Sue nodded, sitting down near Dudley in an armchair made from a leathery, red material. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I have a request... no. More like a favor. See, it's like this..."

_Merlin_. He hoped she'd agree.

* * *

><p>Dudley waited nervously at the bottom of the stairs. He seemed to spend a lot of his time nervous, these days.<p>

He knew that every Saturday morning Sally would go to the Library to do her homework with her friends (though they were all technically home schooled—so how did that work).

He knew that because she'd once said he was welcome whenever he wanted.

Dudley didn't want to study right now, but he did want to talk to Sally as soon as possible, and he knew that he wouldn't be this confident for long, if he put it off. And that was really saying something, as he was NOT feeling confident at all, right now.

He heard the staircase moving. This one rotated between two landings on the third floor. It lead down to the second. Quite conveniently, it didn't change on a whim but moved depending on who needed it.

Just a little longer... just another moment...

Yes. It was Sally-Anne and Penny, on their way to meet with their other friends in the Library.

"Sally!" He called out to her as she and Penny reached the second floor, where he was.

"Oh hey, Dudley. Is everything okay?" She walked closer to him, looking concerned. He supposed he must look a sight, all nervous and tense. And his hair had been getting kind of long, lately, and his fingers had been running through it for the last ten minutes.

He hoped he didn't look too horrid.

"Yeah, everything's great, actually, Sally. I was wondering if I could have a word?" He looked apologetically at Penny, but she only shrugged with a wide smile.

"I'll wait in the Library, then, shall I Sally?"

"Please, Penny. Tell them I'll be down in a bit."

Penny nodded and walked away, humming to herself. Dudley and Sally looked after her, soon losing sight of her as her voice drifted away.

"Are you sure you're okay, Dudley?" Sally asked softly, touching his cheek softly with one hand. "You looked awfully worked up."

"Yes, it's just... I'm a little... look. Today's February seventh, right?"

"Right." Sally said a little uncertainly, looking at Dudley with confusion, and her sweet concern (even if he didn't need it, right then, it was still nice to see).

"So next week, on Saturday, seven days from now, will be the fourteenth, right?"

Sally looked like she was catching on now. She started smiling a little, and she was looking at Dudley with affection in her eyes (probably aimed at his stuttering and inability to simply _ask_ her!).

"Yes, Dudley, it is."

"And the fourteenth of February is Valentine's Day, isn't it?"

Sally looked like she was close to laughing now, but she held back. Dudley was glad. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she laughed at him.

"It is, Dudley."

"Good. So, Sally, would you like to spend the day with me next Saturday? On a... date?" He winced. Merlin. He'd completely screwed that up!

But Sally just smiled blindingly up at him. "Yes, Dudley. I'd like that."

He sighed with relief. He'd known that she'd say yes (his ego wouldn't even consider how nervous he'd been mere moments ago about being refused) but it was still good to hear it.

He smiled back at her. "Great! How about I meet you at ten near the Conservatory? We're not spending the day there, but I'll take you to where we'll be."

"Wow, Dudley," She teased him lightly, "Already got the day planned?"

He blushed. He couldn't help it. "Well, yes. At least, some of it."

Her smile was soft, now. "I'm looking forward to it. Thank you for asking, Dudley."

He leaned forward and gave her a light kiss, pulling back after a little bit to leave her smiling dazedly up at him.

"Me too." Then he gave her one last smile and a peck on the cheek, and walked away to find Ethan.

The bloke owed him a galleon. The jerk had thought Sally would end up asking Dudley, because he wouldn't be able to get the words out. The nerve!

Dudley had done just fine on his own.

* * *

><p>He was waiting right inside the door to the conservatory at 9:55 Saturday morning of February fourteenth, Valentine's Day.<p>

Five minutes until Sally would get there.

He paced. Looked at his watch.

Four minutes and forty-five seconds.

Checked his pocket to make sure he hadn't lost the key.

Four minutes left.

Turned and kicked a pot holding some kind of shrub, letting out some tension.

Three minutes and thirty seconds until Sally would show up.

He hoped Sue had gotten the last minute details done this morning.

Should he have offered to help? What if she forgot what he had wanted?

Paced some more.

Two minutes.

He spun to pace back towards the door, only to freeze, surprised.

Sally was standing uncertainly by the door, looking around. She was early!

Her eyes met his, and she relaxed, smiling at him.

"Dudley!" She cried, and he walked over to her.

"Hello, Sally." He bent down and gave her a lingering kiss, smiling into her lips. "It's good to see you." She'd been busy the last couple of days, and of course he'd been preparing for today. He hadn't seen her at all outside of class.

He backed up, looking at her. She was wearing a pair of jeans, as he'd told her to be casual and comfortable, but they were soft-washed, light ones that fit her perfectly. She was wearing a light, pink blouse with a white unbuttoned sweater over it.

She was a vision, with the light from the rare, sunny February day coming in through the glass ceiling.

"Wow. Just, wow, Sally."

A pink blush spread across her cheeks, looking very pretty. "Thank you, Dudley. You look very handsome." Dudley wasn't wearing anything special, but he had made en effort to look nice. He'd picked out a clean pair of dark jeans with a light green button down shirt, unbuttoned at the collar and with the sleeves rolled up a couple of times.

Sue had also helped trim his hair a little. He liked it a little longer, but he didn't want it as shaggy. Sue had done perfectly.

Sally now ran her fingers a little timidly through his hair, but as he closed his eyes at the nice feeling, she smiled and her movements became more confident.

"I like the haircut." She said simply, reclaiming her hand. Dudley opened his eyes and smiled back.

"Good. Ready?"

"Yes. Any hint of where we're going?"

"I can tell you it's in the house."

"That's not saying much, Dudley! We're not allowed out." But despite her mock glare and reprimanding tone, Dudley could see the corners of her mouth twitching. She was amused.

"Come on."

Dudley led Sally to a room on the third floor, towards the back of the house, but in the main wing. He had found it some weeks ago, and had asked Sue for help fixing it up. They—but mostly she, due to the magical needs the room had—really had done an amazing job on it.

The room wasn't too big, but the whole back wall was glass, looking out over trees coated with snow, and the wilderness behind the house. The room had forest green walls and plush, off white carpeting that was like clouds beneath their feet.

Before Dudley had commandeered the room it had been used for storage, with dirty carpeting and boxes and broken furniture littering it. Sue had helped clean and restore it with magic. While there might have been a room somewhere easier to clean, Dudley had been drawn to the windows of this room. He had known that he wanted to spend the day with Sally here.

He stopped in front of the closed door, stopping Sally by squeezing her hand held in his.

"We stopping here?" Sally looked around curiously, obviously growing intrigued when she didn't see anything that stood out as 'Valentine's Day'.

Dudley hoped she wouldn't be disappointed. He didn't like the whole pink, frilly, rose petal and cupid clichés of the holiday. He thought Sally felt the same way. He hoped he was right.

"Ye-yeah. Can you, uh, close your eyes?" At her questioning look, "It's a surprise. I just want you to, well..."

She giggled and complied with a wide grin. "Ready!" She announced.

Well, this was it.

He opened the door and took her hand again. "Slowly," he warned her, not wanting her to trip moving from the wood floor of the hallway to the different texture flooring of the room.

She moved with him, and he reached back to softly shut the door behind them. Dudley was enthused to see that she didn't look anything but excited. She seemed to trust him to lead her while her eyes were closed. That meant a great deal to him, particularly with all the hardships in her life.

"All right, Sally. You can open your eyes."

She did so. Slowly she turned around, taking in the room around them. Dudley had a fire roaring in the room. In front of the grand fireplace was a blue blanket laid out like a picnic blanket. On it was a wicker basket with a tall handle, covered with a cloth napkin. Inside was a charm allowing Sue to stuff it full with more delicacies and treats than should actually fit. Dudley had helped her to cook and bake all the day before.

There was a loveseat on one side of the room, and on a small table was an old record player that Dudley and Sue had fixed, and a whole collection of records that had been in one of the numerous boxes.

And Dudley had asked Petunia for dancing lessons. He'd worked hard, and his mum was proud of his quick learning.

Sally looked teary-eyed at the room. "You fixed up this room and did all this, just for me? For today?"

"Yeah," Dudley said, but then admitted, "Plus, it could be a bit of a get away for us, you know, in the future when we want to be able to get away and just talk, and not have friends all over us. I mean, I love our friends! But sometimes, what I mean is—"

Thankfully Sally cut him off with a quick kiss. "Thank you, Dudley. This is so sweet. However did you do it?"

He led her over to the loveseat, sitting down and telling her about finding the room, and then begging Sue for assistance. Between his grunt work and her wand they had made quick work of cleaning. Sally was impressed.

"That's amazing. Really. It's the best Valentine's Day I could hope for."

"I'm glad. I mean, I can't take you out. You know, to dinner, or a movie, or anything. This isn't a normal teenage relationship." He shrugged sheepishly. He wished he could take her out.

"Oh, Dudley. I don't care about any of that. We can't do much about that, and at least we're alive and safe here. And I love just spending time with you, talking, or hanging out with our friends."

"Good." And it was. Good, that is.

Dudley's stomach grumbled right then, and he blushed.

"Hungry?" Sally teased him kindly.

"Um, yeah. See, I didn't really eat much breakfast."

The truth was that he hadn't eaten at all. He was too nervous.

"How about you show me what you have stashed away in that basket then?" She asked with a sly smile. Dudley grinned at her. She was perfect.

* * *

><p>Dudley and Sally had spent all of Valentine's Day until dinner in that room. They'd played some chess against each other (Sally had been teaching him chess and then wizards chess for a few weeks) and slowly eaten their way through the picnic basket. They'd talked more about their childhoods, getting to know each other. They'd stayed away from depressing subjects, sharing birthday parties, class projects, family vacations, and more.<p>

Sally had been truly impressed with his dancing. They'd laid on the blanket together, listening to music for close to an hour.

It had been a perfect day.

School continued as normal. So did the weekends, for the most part, as they moved towards the end of February. Sally and Dudley escaped to 'their room', sometimes, but being surrounded by their friends was comforting as well, when hearing reports about the war.

But the safe house continued to be apart from the war, in a way. They hadn't received any more visitors. Patronus messages were infrequent, and owls were only sent with the utmost care and necessity. The kids, while careful and always slightly on edge, felt as normal as they could.

That is, until the last Saturday in February.

"Dudley! Come on!"

"What's with him?" Dudley was talking to Sally, but he looked after his best friend with wide eyes. Ethan was almost _skipping_ as he ran ahead of them, doubled back, and started forward again.

"Faster!"

"Merlin, Ethan, I'm coming! Calm down."  
>His words didn't seem to make much of a difference. Dudley sighed. Sally was giggling next to him.<p>

"Wow, Dudley. You're becoming one of us."

Dudley looked at her questioningly. "What does that mean?"

"You say 'Merlin' instead of 'God', or some other Muggle phrase. You're spending too much time with us!" As she said it Dudley saw a twinkle in her eyes that said she was teasing him.

He decided to tease her back.

"Oh, really? Maybe I should go back to my room, then. I mean, if I'm spending too much time with you guys I should isolate myself, right?" He grinned at her, but before she could answer Ethan was there, a hand on Dudley's arm holding him in place.

"No! You can't go! I told you were had a surprise!"

"Mate, I was kidding. You know, a joke?"

"Oh, right. Sorry." He grinned sheepishly and led the way down the hallway again.

Dudley looked at Sally who was rolling her eyes. "Really. _What_ is up with him?"

"He's just excited."

"About the surprise you have for me?"

"Yeah."

Sally let him think about that as they walked in silence. Even with how much had changed since the summer, the idea of someone being excited about giving something to someone else was still a little... odd to Dudley. It was just unlike anything in his earlier life.

He suspected that Harry would enjoy giving something to someone else. Maybe Dudley should try it sometime. He had enjoyed giving Sally presents, and his mum, at Christmas time.

He'd given Sally flowers on Valentine's Day. Pretty ones that he'd picked in the conservatory. Sue had charmed them to last longer.

Sally was watching him with a contemplative expression. Dudley had told her an awful lot about his life and upbringing since they'd been together. (It was official, them being _together_. On Valentine's Day he'd asked her, stuttering all the while, to be his girlfriend. He had a _girlfriend_. How neat was that?) So he knew that she was probably guessing what he was thinking. She'd been getting pretty good at that.

She gave him a soft smile, looking away when he caught her eye. She looked kind of proud of him.

He looked down at her left wrist. She was wearing the charm bracelet he'd given her. Hestia had helped him get it. The only charms right now were a small sunflower to match her necklace, and a small 'S' that he'd made her.

"Where are we going, Ethan?" Dudley hoped the third time would be a charm. Maybe his friend would answer this time.

Dudley wasn't so lucky. "You'll see," was the only answer. Dudley sighed but resigned himself to his 'surprise'. He followed Ethan, shaking his head, with a giggling Sally next to him, who was giving him sympathetic looks through her snickering.

They eventually went, to Dudley's surprise, to the basement. Since it was still really early in the morning—only seven am, and Dudley didn't know why he was even _awake_ at this time—there was no one else there. In fact, Dedalus was giving dueling lessons in a cleared out dining room today, so no one would be coming down at any point. Probably.

Dudley wasn't going to go to the lessons. He wouldn't be able to do the spells and participate anyway, and this wasn't for fun. These dueling sessions were for the kids to learn to defend themselves.

They weren't mandatory, but everyone went. Which is why Dudley was planning on spending his day alone. When Ethan had shaken him out of a deep sleep and led him to an awake Sally in the hallway, he started suspecting that he wouldn't be as alone as he'd thought.

But why were Ethan and Sally going to miss the lessons?

He asked them that on their way down the stairs to the basement.

"Ethan and I are some of the oldest students here," Sally explained, "And we normally end up helping more than learning. Even me, though I'm still a bit behind. They won't miss us if we're not there for once, and we don't really _need_ to be there."

"I'm really okay by myself, though," Dudley reassured them. "I've done it before."

"But that's not why we're here!" Ethan exclaimed, jumping down the last step ahead of Sally and Dudley. "We have a—"

"A surprise. I know." Dudley said dully. But he shot Ethan a look. Even if his friend was being infuriating, he knew Ethan meant well.

"Yeah, yeah." Ethan hurried away towards a long, wrapped package by a wall. Dudley shot Sally a look.

"It's a gift." She explained.

"But, but why? I mean, it's not my birthday, or a holiday." It was one thing to give presents on those occasions, but his parents had been the only ones to give him gifts other times. And the Dudley that had demanded those presents wasn't one Dudley wanted to be associated with anymore.

"Dudley," Sally said quietly, "Friends don't have to have _reasons_ to give each other presents."

"We want to, Dud." Ethan had calmed down some. He seemed to understand how monumental this moment was to Dudley. He was walking over with the package in his arms, but he let Dudley think.

Not Piers, or Dennis, or any of his other friends would ever have done something like that. But, did real friends do those things often? Give something for no reason at all?

Dudley decided to give it a try. He shrugged to his friends.

"Alright, then. Thank you, I guess."

"Dudley," Ethan sighed, "You have to open it first."

Dudley grinned, the prospect of getting a present just hitting him. "Okay!" He slowly unwrapped the long parcel, getting suspicious as to its shape, but unsure... not sure what it could mean...

"A—a broomstick?" He asked dumbly. It was obviously a broomstick. With a dark brown handle and neatly trimmed twigs it could be nothing else. The engraving on the handle declared it some kind of comet. Dudley was a broomstick appreciator, but couldn't pretend to know anything about the models.

"Yeah." Ethan said simply. Dudley just continued to look at him dumbly. Was it a joke? Dudley couldn't ride a broomstick! Ethan knew that!

"Ethan!" Sally hissed. Ethan jumped.

"Oh, right! No, dud. You _can_ ride this one!"

"What? I mean... how is that possible?" It made no sense. If there was a broomstick that muggles could ride, wouldn't Hestia have known? Or Dedalus, or anyone?

"We—that is, me, Sally, Hestia, Ded and Sue—have been working on this broomstick in our free time. We've been discecting the spells on it, adding some, and charming it, and all. Now, it won't work all the time. We're still working on that, and we _will_ get it sometime. However, for now it will work in the basement. We made it so that the broom will work off the magic in the air instead of the rider's magic. And the basement is completely _saturated_ will magic, from building the house over it, and from making the Quidditch pitch down here."

"So... it will work for me?" Dudley would think about all that later. For now, the only part he understood was that _he could ride a broom_.

Sally laughed. "Yes, Dudley. You can ride it."

They wasted no time. Dudley needed plenty of help, mounting and taking off, steering, accelerating, landing, all of it. Luckily he had two of the best flyers in the Manor with him.

And learning was _fun_. It was flying, it was amazing, it was like nothing he'd ever experienced...

It was _magic_. This was the only magic thing he'd really _wanted_ to be able to do. And his friends had known that and made it possible.

"_Whoooppeee!_" Dudley shouted, spinning a circle around a hysterically laughing Sally. Ethan came up next to him, grinning wildly.

"Race ya!" He yelled, and without waiting took off towards the goals.

Dudley had gotten the hang of this, now. They'd been flying for hours and hours. They'd missed both breakfast and lunch, but Dudley couldn't find it in himself to care. He was having too much fun.

"You're on!" He shouted, zooming after his friend.

Sally was gaining her breath when Dudley and Ethan finished their race, Ethan winning by a thread.

"Do you think we should be finding food soon?" She asked them. Dudley was impressed that both Ethan and Sally had been able to wait so long to eat. Flying was a novelty for Dudley, but not them.

"Yeah, sorry I've kept you down here for so long." Dudley said. "It's just... this has been... _Thank you_." It wasn't enough, but there were no words for what he wanted to say. They seemed to understand.

"We were happy to do it, Dudley. And we'll make it work for when we get to leave hiding. We wanted you to have it, to be able to fly yourself."

"Besides," Ethan added with a wicked grin, "Flying best with friends. It was no fun not being able to fly with my best friend!"

Dudley grinned back at him. They were just about to land their brooms when something happened that froze them all in the air.

A loud voice was heard. It was Dedalus's. And he wasn't in the basement. He was projecting his voice all over the house, like he had told them he could and would do...

In case of an extreme emergency.

"ATTENTION HOUSEHOLD. THIS IS DEDALUS. EVERYONE MUST COME TO THE OLD BALLROOM IMMEDIATELY."

The three of them exchanged horrified looks. That room had been converted into a safe room, in the safe house. It was layered with enchantment upon enchantment. It was also the meeting point in case of anything going wrong.

They landed hurriedly, leaving their broomsticks on the floor and sprinting for the stairs to get them the fastest way to the ballroom on the main floor. They picked up stray kids coming from bedrooms and playrooms and libraries, all running in the same direction as fast as their legs could take them.

"ATTENTION, THIS IS A REPEAT," Dedalus said, though there was no way anyone could have missed his first announcement, "EVERYONE TO THE BALLROOM STRAIGHT AWAY.

"A SAFEHOUSE HAS BEEN ATTACKED."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**_

_**So, what do you think? Fluff, fun, but the end...**_

**_Well, from my perspective, we've been ignoring the war for too long. It gave them a reprieve, but it's back. No one and nothing is able to ignore it. Our favorite heroes, after all, are out risking their lives._**

**_So, Thank you for reading, and please review. I'd like to thank my sister, Lollypops101 for her help with Valentine's Day. Both Vitzy and lyaser53 were great help with talking about broomsticks and such (it was you two, right? It's hard to keep track of PMs, sometimes, so I hope so, and sorry if not). I had to figure out how to make a muggle fly- Not the easiest thing! :)_**

**_Again, thank you to all my anonymous reviewers. I'm not going to reply individually, but it really means a lot to me that you review, even if I can't send a message back. So, thank you and please continue._**

**_Till next time, friends!_**

**_-Books_**


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